subtilis

subtīlis, e, adj. [sub-tela; and therefore, prop., woven fine; hence], fine, not thick or coarse, thin, slender, minute (syn. tenuis).

I.

Lit. (mostly poet. and in postAug. prose;

not in Cic.): quae vulgo volitant subtili praedita filo,

Lucr. 4, 88:

ventus subtili corpore tenuis,

id. 4, 901; cf. id. 3, 195; Cat. 54, 3:

acies gladii,

Sen. Ep. 76, 14:

farina,

Plin. 18, 7, 14, § 74:

mitra,

Cat. 64, 63:

ignis,

Lucr. 6, 225:

subtilia et minuta primordia rerum,

id. 4, 122; 4, 114.— Subst.: subtīlĭa, ĭum, n. plur., fine goods or stuffs, Vulg. Isa. 19, 9:

indui te subtilibus,

id. Ezech. 16, 10.— Comp.:

harundo,

Plin. 16, 36, 66, § 168:

semen raporum,

id. 18, 13, 34, § 129.— Sup.:

sucus subtilissimus,

Plin. 11, 5, 4, § 11.—

B.

Transf., of the senses, fine, nice, acute, delicate, exqui site (rare):

palatum,

Hor. S. 2, 8, 38:

subtilior gula,

Col. 8, 16, 4.—

II.

Trop., fine, nice, precise, exact, accurate, keen, subtle (class.; syn.: elegans, concinnus).

A.

In gen.:

sollers subtilisque descriptio,

Cic. N. D. 2, 47, 121:

definitio,

id. de Or. 1, 23, 109:

observatio,

Plin. 18, 13, 35, § 132:

sententia,

id. 18, 17, 46, § 165:

argumentatio,

id. 2, 108, 112, § 247:

quaestio,

id. 11, 16, 16, § 46:

Graecia,

Manil. 4, 718.— Comp.:

reliquae (epistulae) subtiliores erunt,

more particular, Cic. Att. 5, 14, 3.— Sup.:

quae (curatio manus) inter subtilissimas haberi potest,

Cels. 7, 7, 13:

inventum,

Plin. 31, 3, 23, § 40:

Democritus, subtilissimus antiquorum,

Sen. Q. N. 7, 3, 2.—

2.

Transf., of taste or judgment, fine, keen, delicate, exquisite (syn.:

sagax, acutus): judicium,

Cic. Fam. 15, 6, 1; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 242; cf.:

subtilis veterum judex,

id. S. 2, 7, 101:

sapiens subtilisque lector,

Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 7:

vir subtilis, dispositus, acer, disertus,

id. ib. 2, 11, 17; 4, 17, 4.—

B.

In partic., in rhet., of speech or of the speaker, plain, simple, unadorned (syn. simplex):

genus dicendi,

Cic. Or. 21, 69; cf.:

acutissimum et subtilissimum dicendi genus,

id. de Or. 2, 23, 98:

oratio,

id. Or. 5, 20; cf. id. ib. 23, 78:

Stoicorum non ignoras, quam sit subtile vel spinosum potius dicendi genus,

id. Fin. 3, 1, 3: subtile quod ischnon vocant, Quint. 12, 10, 58:

disputator,

Cic. Off. 1, 1, 3:

quis illo (Catone) in docendo edisserendoque subtilior?

id. Brut. 17, 65:

oratione limatus atque subtilis,

id. de Or. 1, 39, 180; cf. id. de Or. 3, 8, 31: Lysias subtilis scriptor atque [p. 1785] elegans, id. Brut. 9, 35; Quint. 10, 1, 78:

praeceptor,

id. 1, 4, 25; 12, 10, 51.—Hence, adv.: subtīlĭter, finely, minutely.

1.

Lit.:

subtiliter insinuatus ad parvas partes aër,

Lucr. 6, 1031:

conexae res,

closely, intimately, id. 3, 739:

dividere aliquid,

Plin. 5, 12, 13, § 67:

fodere,

lightly, superficially, Pall. Febr. 21 fin. —

2.

Trop., finely, acutely, minutely, accurately, subtly.

a.

In gen.:

subtiliter judicare,

finely, acutely, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 57, § 127:

de re publicā quid ego tibi subtiliter? tota periit,

minutely, particularly, id. Att. 2, 21, 1; cf.:

haec ad te scribam alias subtilius,

id. ib. 1, 13, 4:

subtiliter exsequi numerum,

Liv. 3, 5:

de aliquā re subtiliter disserere,

Cic. Fl. 17, 41:

aliquid persequi,

id. de Or. 1, 21, 98; cf.:

id persequar subtilius,

id. Rep. 2, 23, 42:

subtilius haec disserunt,

id. Lael. 5, 18:

subtilius ista quaerunt,

id. ib. 2, 7 et saep. —

b.

In partic., in rhet., plainly, simply, without ornament:

humilia subtiliter et magna graviter et mediocria temperate dicere,

Cic. Or. 29, 100:

versute et subtiliter dicere,

id. ib. 7, 22:

privatas causas agere subtilius: capitis aut famae ornatius,

id. Fam. 9, 21, 1:

magnifice an subtiliter dicere,

Quint. 8, 3, 40.