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subicio

Etymology and origin of the Latin word subicio

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (iaciō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [sʊbˈjɪ.ki.oː], [sʊˈbɪ.ki.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [subˈjiː.t͡ʃi.o], [suˈbiː.t͡ʃi.o][1]

Forms

subiciō (present infinitive subicere, perfect active subiēcī, supine subiectum); third (-iō variant) conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from sub- “under, up from below” and iaciō “to throw”.[2][1][3] The first syllable of present forms is long in pre-Augustan and Augustan verse, as Gellius discusses, and the spelling ⟨subjiciō⟩ is less correct.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of fraudulent substitution, and Lucilius, of throwing up and placing below.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to throw up from below, as in Lucilius, in Livy to hoist, and to place underneath, in Caesar at the foot of something.[2] In Cicero it meant to put under so as to subject to an action, to apply fire, and to lay before the eyes or mind.[2] From Caesar it meant to make subject to authority, and in Cicero to expose to a hazard, praecōnī subicere to put up for auction, and to place under a category.[2] In Horace it meant to place next, in the Rhetorica ad Herennium to append, and in Virgil to put in a remark.[2] In Cicero it meant to supply, suggest, and to substitute, in Caesar to suborn, in Quintilian to introduce fraudulently, and in Plautus to substitute fraudulently.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin, as subjiciō, it meant to subject.[6] Its participle subiectus lies behind Old French suget and English subject, recorded in the early 14th century of a person under another's dominion.[1][3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of fraudulent substitution.[2][5]
  • c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it of placing below.[2][5]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of making subject.[2][5]
  • early 14th century – English subject is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To throw up; to hoist.[2]
  2. To place under or below.[2]
  3. To put under; to apply (fire).[2]
  4. To lay before (the eyes or mind).[2]
  5. To make subject, subject; to expose; to put up for auction.[2]
  6. To place under a category.[2]
  7. To place next; to append; to put in (a remark).[2]
  8. To supply; to suggest.[2]
  9. To suborn; to introduce fraudulently; to substitute.[2]

Word family

  • īnsubiectus
  • subiectibilis
  • subiectiō
  • subiectō
  • subiector
  • subiectum
  • subiectus
  • subicēs
  • subiectīvus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Subicio.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/subicio. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·