About The Word Subtile

Bay Area Crosswords

Learn about the word Subtile to help solve your crossword puzzle. Discover Subtile definitions and meaning, origins, synonyms, related terms and more at the free Crossword Dictionary.

Subtile

Subtile Meaning & Definition
Subtile Definition And Meaning

What's The Definition Of Subtile?

Synonyms | Synonyms for Subtile:

Related Terms | Find terms related to Subtile:

See Also |

Subtile In Webster's Dictionary

\Sub"tile\, a. [L. subtilis. See {Subtile}.] 1. Thin; not dense or gross; rare; as, subtile air; subtile vapor; a subtile medium. 2. Delicately constituted or constructed; nice; fine; delicate; tenuous; finely woven. ``A sotil [subtile] twine's thread.'' --Chaucer. More subtile web Arachne can not spin. --Spenser. I do distinguish plain Each subtile line of her immortal face. --Sir J. Davies. 3. Acute; piercing; searching. The slow disease and subtile pain. --Prior. 5. Characterized by nicety of discrimination; discerning; delicate; refined; subtle. [In this sense now commonly written {subtle}.] The genius of the Spanish people is exquisitely subtile, without being at all acute; hence there is so much humor and so little wit in their literature. The genius of the Italians, on the contrary, is acute, profound, and sensual, but not subtile; hence what they think to be humorous, is merely witty. --Coleridge. The subtile influence of an intellect like Emerson's. --Hawthorne. 5. Sly; artful; cunning; crafty; subtle; as, a subtile person; a subtile adversary; a subtile scheme. [In this sense now commonly written {subtle}.] Syn: {Subtile}, {Acute}. Usage: In acute the image is that of a needle's point; in subtile that of a thread spun out to fineness. The acute intellect pierces to its aim; the subtile (or subtle) intellect winds its way through obstacles. -- {Sub"tile*ly}, adv. -- {Sub"tile*ness}, n.

More Crossword Puzzle Words

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Cross Word Of The Day

  • Idle wheel ‐ a pulley on a shaft that presses against a guide belt to guide…
  • Savin ‐ procumbent or…
  • Cram full ‐ packed full to capacity; "chowder chockablock with pieces of…
  • Lamb's lettuce ‐ widely cultivated as a salad crop and pot herb;…
  • Bismarck sea ‐ World War II naval battle; Allied land-based bombers destroyed…
  • Indiscriminating ‐ not…
  • Astragalus danicus ‐ perennial of southern and western Europe having dense racemes…
  • Coniferophytina ‐ cone-bearing gymnosperms dating from the Carboniferous period;…
  • Unvaried ‐ not diversified [adj]…
  • Animal group ‐ a group…