subdue. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

subdue

SYLLABICATION:	sub·due
PRONUNCIATION:	sb-d, -dy
TRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: sub·dued, sub·du·ing, sub·dues 1. To conquer and subjugate; vanquish. See synonyms at defeat. 2. To quiet or bring under control by physical force or persuasion; make tractable. 3. To make less intense or prominent; tone down: subdued my excitement about the upcoming holiday. 4. To bring (land) under cultivation: Farmers subdued the arid lands of Australia.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English subduen, alteration (influenced by Latin subdere, to subject) of Old French suduire, to seduce, from Latin subdcere, to withdraw (probably influenced by Latin sdcere, to seduce) : sub-, away; see sub– + dcere, to lead; see deuk- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	sub·dua·ble —ADJECTIVE sub·duer —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.