preposition
sub
sub (+ accusative, ablative)
Classical[ˈsʊb]Ecclesiastical[ˈsub]
№ 118 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- ablativewith ablativewith accusativeunder, beneath
- ablativewith ablativewith accusativebehind
- ablativewith ablativewith accusativeat the feet of
- ablativewith ablativewith accusativewithin, during
- ablativewith ablativewith accusativeabout, around (time); just before, just after, shortly before, shortly after
- ablativewith accusativeunder, up to, up under, close to (of a motion)
- ablativewith accusativeuntil, before, up to, about
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- sub divo
- in the open air.
- sub metum subiectum esse
- to be comprised under the term "fear."
- sub unum aspectum subicere aliquid
- to give a general idea of a thing.
- sub imperio et dicione alicuius esse
- to be subject to some one, under some one's dominion.
- sensibus or sub sensus subiectum esse
- to come within the sphere of the senses.
- aliquem sub corona vendere (B. G. 3. 16)
- to sell a prisoner of war as a slave.
- adhuc sub iudice lis est (Hor. A. P. 77)
- the case is still undecided.
- considere sub monte (sub montis radicibus)
- to occupy the foot of a hill.
6 more phrases
- sub varios incertosque casus subiectum esse
- to have to submit to the uncertainties of fortune; to be subject to Fortune's caprice.
- sub sensum or sub oculos, sub aspectum cadere
- to come within the sphere of the senses.
- sub radicibus montis, in infimo monte, sub monte
- at the foot of the mountain.
- oculis or sub oculos, sub aspectum subicere aliquid
- to represent a thing vividly.
- rerum sub aspectum paene subiectio (De Or. 3. 53. 202)
- graphic depiction.
- libera corpora sub corona (hasta) veneunt (B. G. 3. 16. 4)
- the free men are sold as slaves.
sŭb (on the form sus from subs
I. v. infra, III.), prep. with acc. and abl. [perh. for es-ub, ens-ub, = ἐνς (εις) and ὑπό; Sanscr. upa; cf. Georg Curtius Gr. Etym. p. 290], under.
I. With abl., to point out the object under which a thing is situated or takes place (Gr. ὑπό, with dat. or gen.), under, below, beneath, underneath.
A. Of space:
si essent, qui sub terrā semper habitavissent ... nec tamen exissent umquam supra terram, Cic. N. D. 2, 37, 95; Plaut. Capt. 3, 5, 72: sub aquā, id. Cas. 2, 6, 28: sub vestimentis, id. Ep. 2, 2, 32; Liv. 1, 58; cf.: saepe est sub palliolo sordido sapientia, Caecil. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 23, 56: ingenium ingens Inculto latet hoc sub corpore, Hor. S. 1, 3, 34: sub pellibus hiemare, Caes. B. C. 3, 13, 5; cf. Liv. 23, 18, 15: manet sub Jove frigido Venator, Hor. C. 1, 1, 25: sub divo moreris, id. ib. 2, 3, 23: vitam sub divo agat, id. ib. 3, 2, 5 (v. divus, II.): sub terrā vivi demissi sunt, Liv. 22, 57: sub hoc jugo dictator Aequos misit, id. 3, 28, 11: pone (me) sub curru nimium propinqui Solis, Hor. C. 1, 22, 21 et saep.— Trop.: non parvum sub hoc verbo furtum latet, Cic. Agr. 3, 3, 12.—2. Transf., of lofty objects, at the foot of which, or in whose immediate neighborhood, any thing is situated, under, below, beneath, at the foot of, at, by, near, before:
sub monte consedit, Caes. B. G. 1, 48; so, sub monte considere, id. ib. 1, 21: sub colle constituere, id. ib. 7, 49: sub montis radicibus esse, id. ib. 7, 36 al.: sub ipsis Numantiae moenibus, Cic. Rep. 1, 11, 17: est ager sub urbe, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 107; so, sub urbe, Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 26; Varr. R. R. 1, 50, 2; Hor. C. 3, 19, 4: sub Veteribus, Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 19: sub Novis, Cic. de Or. 2, 66, 266 Orell. N. cr.; id. Ac. 2, 22, 70 Goer. N. cr.; cf. Varr. L. L. 6, § 59 Müll.: sub basilicā, Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 11 et saep.—Trop.: sub oculis domini suam probare operam studebant, Caes. B. C. 1, 57 fin.: omnia sub oculis erant, Liv. 4, 28; cf. Vell. 2, 21, 3: classem sub ipso ore urbis incendit, Flor. 2, 15.—B. Of time, in, within, during, at, by:
ne sub ipsā profectione milites oppidum irrumperent, Caes. B. C. 1, 27: sub decessu suo, Hirt. B. G. 8, 49: sub luce, Ov. M. 1, 494; Hor. A. P. 363; Liv. 25, 24: sub eodem tempore, Ov. F. 5, 491: sub somno, Cels. 3, 18 med. al.— C. In other relations, where existence under or in the immediate vicinity of any thing may be conceived.
1. Under, in rank or order; hence, next to, immediately after: Euryalumque Helymus sequitur;
quo deinde sub ipso Ecce volat calcemque terit jam calce Diores, Verg. A. 5, 322.—2. In gen., of subjection, domination, stipulation, influence, effect, reason, etc., under, beneath, with:
omnes ordine sub signis ducam legiones meas, under my standards, Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 71: sub armis vitam cernere, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 81 Müll. (Trag. v. 297 Vahl.); so, sub armis, Caes. B. C. 1, 41; 1, 42: sub sarcinis, id. B. G. 2, 17; 3, 24: sub onere, id. B. C. 1, 66 et saep.—3. Trop., under, subject to, in the power of; during, in the time of, upon, etc.:
sub Veneris regno vapulo, non sub Jovis, Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 13: sub regno esse, Cic. Rep. 1, 38, 60: sub imperio alicujus esse, Ter. Heaut. 2, 2, 4: sub dicione atque imperio alicujus esse, Caes. B. G. 1, 31; Auct. B. Alex. 66, 6; Sall. J. 13, 1; Nep. Con. 4, 4; id. Eum. 7, 1; cf.: sub Corbulone Armenios pellere, Tac. H. 3, 24: sub manu alicujus esse, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 23, 2; sub rege, Cic. Rep. 2, 23, 43; Hor. C. 3, 5, 9: sub Hannibale, Liv. 25, 40: sub dominā meretrice, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 25: sub nutrice, id. ib. 2, 1, 99: sub judice lis est, id. A. P. 78: praecipua sub Domitiano miseriarum pars erat, during the reign of, Tac. Agr. 45: scripsit sub Nerone novissimis annis, Plin. Ep. 3, 5, 5: gnarus sub Nerone temporum, Tac. Agr. 6; Suet. Tit. 8 et saep.: sub vulnere, from the effects of the wound, Ov. M. 5, 62; cf.: sub judice, under, id. ib. 13, 190: nullo sub indice, forced by no betrayer, id. ib. 13, 34.—So in certain phrases where the simple abl. is more freq.: sub pacto abolitionis dominationem deponere, Quint. 9, 2, 97: sub condicione, Liv. 6, 40, 8 Weissenb. ad loc.: sub condicionibus, id. 21, 12, 4: sub eā condicione, ne cui fidem meam obstringam, Plin. Ep. 4, 13, 11: sub eā condicione, si esset, etc., id. ib. 8, 18, 4; so, sub condicione, ut (ne, si, etc.), Suet. Tib. 44; 13; id. Caes. 68; id. Claud. 24; id. Vit. 6: sub specie (= specie, or per speciem): sub specie infidae pacis quieti, Liv. 9, 45, 5; 36, 7, 12; 44, 24, 4: sub tutelae specie, Curt. 10, 6, 21; Sen. Ben. 1, 4, 2; cf.: sub nomine pacis bellum latet, Cic. Phil. 12, 7, 17: sub alienis auspiciis rem gerere, Val. Max. 3, 2, 6: sub lege, ne, Suet. Aug. 21: sub exceptione, si, id. Caes. 78: sub poenā mortis, id. Calig. 48: servitutis, id. Tib. 36 et saep.: sub frigido sudore mori, Cels. 5, 26, 31 fin. —II. With acc., to point out the object under which a thing comes, goes, extends, etc. (Gr. ὑπό, with acc.), under, below, beneath.
A. Of space, usually with verbs of motion:
et datores et factores omnes subdam sub solum, Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 18: manum sub vestimenta deferre, id. Bacch. 3, 3, 78: cum tota se luna sub orbem solis subjecisset, Cic. Rep. 1, 16, 25: exercitum sub jugum mittere, Caes. B. G. 1, 7; 1, 12; Sall. J. 38, 9 Dietsch ad loc.: sub furcam ire, Hor. S. 2, 7, 66: sub divum rapere, id. C. 1, 18, 13: sub terras ire, Verg. A. 4, 654. —Trop.: sub judicium sapientis et delectum cadunt, Cic. Fin. 3, 18, 61: quae sub sensus subjecta sunt, id. Ac. 2, 23, 74: quod sub aurium mensuram aliquam cadat, id. Or. 20, 67: columbae Ipsa sub ora viri venere, Verg. A. 6, 191: quod sub oculos venit, Sen. Ben. 1, 5, 6.—Rarely with verb of rest: quidquid sub Noton et Borean hominum sumus, Luc. 7, 364.—2. Transf. (cf. supra, I. A. 2.), of lofty objects, to the foot of which, or into whose immediate neighborhood, any thing comes, or near to which it extends, under, below, beneath, to, near to, close to, up to, towards, etc.:
sub montem succedunt milites, Caes. B. C. 1, 45: sub ipsum murum fons aquae prorumpebat, Hirt. B. G. 8, 41: missi sunt sub muros, Liv. 44, 45: Judaei sub ipsos muros struxere aciem, Tac. H. 5, 11; 3, 21: aedes suas detulit sub Veliam, Cic. Rep. 2, 31, 54: arat finem sub utrumque colonus, Hor. S. 2, 1, 35: jactatus amnis Ostia sub Tusci, id. ib. 2, 2, 33: (hostem) mediam ferit ense sub alvum, Ov. M. 12, 389: sub orientem secutus Armenios, Flor. 3, 5.—B. Of time, denoting a close approximation.
1. Before, towards, about, shortly before, up to, until:
Pompeius sub noctem naves solvit, Caes. B. C. 1, 28; so, sub noctem, Verg. A. 1, 662; Hor. C. 1, 9, 19; id. S. 2, 1, 9; 2, 7, 109; id. Ep. 2, 2, 169: sub vesperum, Caes. B. G. 2, 33; id. B. C. 1, 42: sub lucem, id. B. G. 7, 83; Verg. G. 1, 445: sub lumina prima, Hor. S. 2, 7, 33: sub tempus edendi, id. Ep. 1, 16, 22: sub dies festos, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 1, 1: sub galli cantum, Hor. S. 1, 1, 10: usque sub extremum brumae intractabilis imbrem, Verg. G. 1, 211: simulacra Visa sub obscurum noctis, id. ib. 1, 478: prima vel autumni sub frigora, id. ib. 2, 321: quod (bellum) fuit sub recentem pacem, Liv. 21, 2, 1.—2. After, immediately after, just after, immediately upon:
sub eas (litteras) statim recitatae sunt tuae, Cic. Fam. 10, 16, 1; cf. Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 4, 4: sub haec dicta omnes procubuerunt, Liv. 7, 31: sub adventum praetoris, id. 23, 15, 1; 23, 16, 3; 45, 10, 10: sub hanc vocem fremitus variantis multitudinis fuit, id. 35, 31: sub hoc erus inquit, hereupon, Hor. S. 2, 8, 43.—C. In other relations, in which a coming under any thing may be conceived:
lepide hoc succedit sub manus negotium, comes to hand, convenient, Plaut. Mil. 3, 2, 59: sub manus succedere, id. ib. 4, 4, 7; id. Pers. 4, 1, 2: sub manum submittere, at hand, convenient, Auct. B. Afr. 36, 1: sub ictum venire, Liv. 27, 18: sub manum annuntiari, Suet. Aug. 49 (al. sub manu; cf. supra, I. C.): sub legum et judiciorum potestatem cadere, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 55, § 144: sub populi Romani imperium dicionemque cadere, id. Font. 5, 12 (1, 2): incolas sub potestatem Atheniensium redigere, Nep. Milt. 1: matrimonium vos sub legis superbissimae vincula conicitis, Liv. 4, 4: sub unum fortunae ictum totas vires regni cadere pati, Curt. 3, 8, 2.—III. In composition, the b remains unchanged before vowels and before b, d, j, l, n, s, t, v. Before m and r it is frequently, and before the remaining consonants, c, f, g, p, it is regularly assimilated. Yet here the MSS. vary, as in ob, ad, in, etc. Before some words commencing with c. p, t, it assumes the form sus, by the rejection of the b from a collateral form subs (analog. to abs); e. g. suscipio, suscito, suspendo, sustineo, sustuli, sustollo. Before s, with a following consonant, there remains merely su in the words suspicio, suspicor, suspiro; cf., however: substerno, substituo, substo, substruo al.; v. esp. Neue, Formenl. 2, 775 sqq.—
B. In composition, sub denotes,
1. Lit., a being situated or contained under, a putting or bringing under, or a going in under any thing: subaeratus, subcavus; subdo, subigo, subicio; subhaereo, subaperio; subedo.—
2. Hence, also, a concealing or being concealed behind something; a secret action: subnoto, surripio, suffuror, subausculto, suborno. —
3. Transf., a being placed or ranked under: subcenturio, subcurator, subcustos, etc.; or a being or doing any thing in a lower or inferior degree, a little, somewhat, rather, slightly: subabsurdus, subagrestis, subalbus, etc.; subaccusare, subirascor, etc.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
sub
(in composition sometimes sus- or sū-), praep. with acc. and abl.
I. I. With abl., of position in space, under, below, beneath, underneath, behind : sub terrā habitare: cultrum sub veste abditum habere, L.: sub pellibus hiemare, Cs.: manet sub Iove frigido Venator, H.: sub hoc iugo dictator Aequos misit, L.: Pone (me) sub curru Solis, H. —Under, below, beneath, at the foot of, at, by, near, before: sub monte considere, Cs.: sub ipsis Numantiae moenibus: sub urbe, T.: Monte sub aërio, at, i. e. high upon, V.: sub ipsā acie, in the midst of the fight, V.: sub ipso Ecce volat Diores, close upon him, V.: sub oculis domini, Cs.—Under, burdened by, hampered by, bearing: sub armis, Cs.: sub onere, Cs.—Of time, in, within, during, at, by, in the time of: ne sub ipsā profectione milites oppidum inrumperent, Cs.: sub luce, at dawn, O.: sub luce videri, by daylight, H.: hoc sub casu, while suffering, V.: sub Domitiano, during the reign of, Ta.—Fig., under, subject to, in the power of, governed by: sub regno esse: quoius sub imperiost, T.: sub illorum dicione esse, Cs.: sub Hannibale, L.: sub iudice lis est, H.: venibit sub praecone Propontis, i. e. at auction.—Under, compelled by (poet.): exhalans sub volnere vitam, O.: quem falsā sub proditione Demisere neci, overwhelmed by, V.: in arma nullo sub indice veni, forced by no betrayer, O.—Under, concealed by, hidden in: sub hoc verbo furtum latet.—Rarely with specie or condicione (for the abl. alone): sub specie infidae pacis quieti, L.: sub tutelae specie, Cu.: sub condicione, L.: sub condicionibus, L.—
II. II. With acc., of direction of motion, under, below, beneath: cum se luna sub orbem solis subiecisset: exercitum sub iugum mittere, Cs.: Ibis sub furcam, H.—Under, below, beneath, to, near to, close to, up to, towards: sub montem succedere, Cs.: missi sunt sub muros, L.: aedīs suas detulit sub Veliam: (hostem) mediam ferit ense sub alvum, O.—Of time, before, on the approach of, towards, about, just before, up to, until: sub noctem naves solvit, Cs.: sub tempus (comitiorum) pueros ablegavit, L.: sub lumina prima, H.: sub dies festos: Usque sub extremum brumae imbrem, V.: quod (bellum) fuit sub recentem pacem, L.—After, immediately after, following, just after, immediately upon: sub eas (litteras) statim recitatae sunt tuae: sub haec dicta omnes procubuerunt, L.: sub hoc, hereupon, H.—Fig., under, into subjection to, into the power of: sub legum potestatem cadere: matrimonium vos sub legis vincula conicitis, L.: sub unum fortunae ictum totas vires regni cadere pati, Cu.: quae sub sensūs subiecta sunt.—
III. III. In composition, sub is unchanged before vowels and before b, d, h, i consonant, l, n, s, t, v. The b is often assimilated before m, r, and usu. before c, f, g, p, but the form sus (for * subs, cf. abs) is found in suscenseo, suscipio, suscito, suspendo, sustento, sustineo, sustollo, and sustuli (perf. of tollo); the form su in the words suspicio, suspicor, suspiro. It denotes, in place, under, beneath, as in subdo, subicio.—Fig., in rank or power, under, inferior, as in subigo, subcenturio.—In degree, less, a little, somewhat, as in subabsurdus, subaccuso.—Secretly, underhandedly, as in subripio, suborno.
Origins
From Proto-Italic *supo, from Proto-Indo-European *upó. Compare Ancient Greek ὑπό (hupó). The usage with the accusative is from the pre-PIE directional, while with the ablative it is from both the locative, “under”, and the ablative, “from underneath”.
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesesobfrom Old Galician-Portuguese sob
- Spanishsofrom Old Spanish so
- Galiciansofrom Old Galician-Portuguese sob
- Asturiansofrom Old Leonese sob
Borrowings
- Englishsub
- Italiansub
- Idosubfrom Esperanto sub
- Interlinguasub
Italo-Romance
- Italianso