subject
adjectivenounverbcommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈsʌb.d͡ʒɪkt//
- //ˈsʌb.d͡ʒɛkt//
- //səbˈd͡ʒɛkt//
Likely to be affected by or to experience something; liable.
adjective
- 1
Likely to be affected by or to experience something; liable.
a country subject to extreme heat
Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
He's subject to sneezing fits.
All human things are subject to decay.
- 2
Conditional upon something; used with to.
The local board sets local policy, subject to approval from the State Board.
- 3
Placed or situated under; lying below, or in a lower situation.
Long he them bore above the subject plain
- 4
Placed under the power of another; owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state.
, Book I Esau was never subject to Jacob.
Etymology
From Middle English subget, from Old French suget, from Latin subiectus (“lying under or near, adjacent, also subject, exposed”), as a noun, subiectus (“a subject, an inferior”), subiectum (“the subject of a proposition”), past participle of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”), as a calque of Ancient Greek ὑποκείμενον (hupokeímenon).
noun
- 1
The noun, pronoun or noun phrase about whom the statement is made. In active clauses with verbs denoting an action, the subject is the actor. In clauses in the passive voice the subject is the target of the action.
A subject (Sub) is a word, phrase, or clause that performs the action of or acts upon the verb in the predicate.
In the active sentence ‘The cat ate the mouse’, ‘the cat’ is the subject and ‘the mouse’ is the object.
In the passive sentence ‘the mouse was eaten by the cat’, ‘the mouse’ is the subject even though it is the target (patient) of the action, and ‘the cat’ is the agent.
- 2
By extension: an actor or agent; one who takes action.
the subjects and objects of power
- 3
The main topic of a paper, work of art, discussion, field of study, etc.
this subject for heroic song
Make choice of a subject beautifull and noble, which […] shall […]afford[…] an ample field of matter wherein to expatiate itself.
I am th' unhappy subject of these quarrels. All these quarrels are about me.
Then I had a good think on the subject of the hocussing of Cigarette, and I was reluctantly bound to admit that once again the man in the corner had found the only possible solution to the mystery.
- 4
A particular area of study.
Her favorite subject is physics.
One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains.[…]But out of sight is out of mind. And that, together with the inherent yuckiness of the subject, means that many old sewers have been neglected and are in dire need of repair.
- 5
A citizen in a monarchy.
I am a British subject.
Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Act, and without prejudice to section 39, this Act shall apply to proceedings by or against the Crown in like manner as it applies to proceedings between subjects.
Ignat'ev refused to concede these points, but offered other concessions instead: Russia would not demand a consulate in Ch'i-ch'i-ha-erh or Chang-chia-k'ou (Kalgan); it would permit Chinese subjects to continue living along the Ussuri river as Chinese subjects; and it would limit to 200 the number of Russian traders in Peking.
- 6
A person ruled over by another, especially a monarch or state authority.
[…]the Grand Khan seemed to grasp the "truth" of the religion and might become a convert, thereby gaining for Christianity the souls of all his subjects.
- 7
The main theme or melody, especially in a fugue.
The earliest known form of subject is the ecclesiastical cantus firmus, or plain song.
- 8
A human, animal, or an inanimate object that is being examined, treated, analysed, etc; especially, one being studied in a scientific experiment, such as a clinical trial.
human subject research
animal subjects
Writers of particular lives[…]are apt to be prejudiced in favour of their subject.
It is also essential for those who come to the subject 'fresh' to gain the insight that will bridge their knowledge from being a subject of hypnosis to a potential practitioner.
- 9
A being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity.
- 10
That of which something is stated.
- 11
A variable isolated on one side of an equality, expressed in terms of other variables.
Making x the subject of x²-6x#43;3y#61;0, we get x#61;3#92;pm#92;sqrt#123;9-3y#125;.
Etymology
From Latin subiectus (“a subject, an inferior”), subiectum (“the subject of a proposition”), past participle of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”).
verb
- 1
To cause (someone or something) to undergo a particular experience, especially one that is unpleasant or unwanted.
I came here to buy souvenirs, not to be subjected to a tirade of abuse!
- 2
To make subordinate or subservient; to subdue or enslave; to subjugate.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin subiectō, iterative of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”).
Forms
- plural
- subjects
- comparative
- more subject
- superlative
- most subject
- past tense
- subjected
- past participle
- subjected
- present participle
- subjecting
- third person singular
- subjects
subject · Likely to be affected by or to experience something; liable.
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