Subicere

Subicere is a Latin verb meaning to place under, to subject, or to bring under control. It is used both in literal senses, such as placing one thing beneath another, and in figurative senses, such as subjecting a person or thing to rules, tests, or authority. In classical Latin, the verb covers a range from physical placement to legal or ethical subjection.

The verb is formed from the prefix sub- meaning under plus the root associated with throwing or placing, and it belongs to the third conjugation with the -io pattern. Its principal parts are subicio, subicere, subiēcī, subiectum. The present active indicative forms include subicio, subicis, subicit, subicimus, subicitis, subiciunt. The passive forms use the corresponding passive endings, and the past participle is subiectus, meaning “placed under” or “subjected.” The neuter participle or noun form subiectum can mean the subject or the state of being subjected.

Common senses in Latin include to subject something to a condition, to impose authority or jurisdiction, to subject to punishment, and to bring under a rule or law. The verb frequently appears in legal, military, and philosophical texts, often with an object representing the thing being subjected and with a prepositional or contextual frame indicating the target of subjection.

Subicere is related to other Latin compound verbs with the prefix sub-, such as subicere leges (to subject to laws) and obicere (to throw against or to oppose), and it is often discussed in discussions of Latin morphology and syntax rather than as a large, independent idiom.