Etymology

subtle

sub·tle
S1U1B3T1L1E1

Today it means: Of an action or movement: very delicate or slight, and thus barely noticeable; not obvious; inconspicuous, unintrusive. Full definition →

Middle English sotil ← Anglo-Norman sotel ← Middle French soutil
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subtle · adjective, noun1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromsotil
  2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*tetḱ-“to create, produce; to cut, hew”
  3. Latin · derived fromsubtīlis“of texture: delicate, fine; slender, thin; accurate, keen; having fine judgment; etc.”
  4. Old French · derived fromsotil
  5. Middle French · derived fromsoutil
  6. Anglo-Norman · derived fromsotel
  7. Middle English · inherited fromsotil
  8. English todaysubtle

The adjective is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“of a person, the mind, etc.: clever, ingenious, penetrating; cunning, sly; insidious; delicate, fine; not dense, light, thin; finely powdered; narrow, slender; etc.”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman sotel, subtil, sutil, Middle French soutil, subtil, sutil, and Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (“of an object: skilfully designed or made; delicate, fine; slender, thin; of an intangible thing: difficult to understand; of a person: discerning, shrewd; devious, sly; etc.”) (modern French subtil), from Latin subtīlis (“of texture: delicate, fine; slender, thin; accurate, keen; having fine judgment; etc.”), from sub (“below, under”) + tēla (“warp (threads running lengthwise in a loom); web”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tetḱ- (“to create, produce; to cut, hew”), from *teḱ- (“to beget, sire”)). The word displaced Old English smēag (literally “creeping”). The modern and Middle English (and French) spellings with -b- are influenced by Latin subtīlis; the letter was probably never pronounced. The noun is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“wise person; sophisticated people collectively”), from the adjective.

subtle · verb2

  1. Latin · derived fromsubtīlis
  2. Late Latin · derived fromsubtīliāre
  3. Old French · derived fromsotil
  4. Old French · derived fromsoutillier“to make thin; to sharpen; to split hairs when arguing; to scheme, plot”
  5. Middle French · derived fromsoutiller
  6. Anglo-Norman · derived fromsotiller
  7. Middle English · inherited fromsotilen
  8. English todaysubtle

Partly from both of the following: * From Middle English sotilen, subtile, subtilien (“to reflect on (something); to become mentally keen; to connive, scheme; to contrive, invent; to become pure or thin; to (cause something to) become light or thin; (medicine) to lighten or reduce (a diet)”), from Anglo-Norman sotiller, soutiller, sutiller, Middle French soutiller, soutillier, and Old French soutillier (“to make thin; to sharpen; to split hairs when arguing; to scheme, plot”), from Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (noun) (see etymology 1) + -ier (suffix forming infinitives of first-conjugation verbs), partly influenced by Late Latin subtīliāre, the present active infinitive of subtīliō (“to act craftily; to diminish”), from Latin subtīlis (adjective) (see etymology 1) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). * From subtle (adjective).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.