subjugate
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subjugate¹
- /ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡət/ UK
- /ˈsʌbd͡ʒəɡət/ US
Where it comes from
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English subiugat(e), subjugat(e) (“made submissive; obedient”), the past participle of subiugaten, subjugaten (“to conquer; to subdue”), from Latin subiugātus, subjugātus (“subjugated”), the perfect passive participle of subiugō, subjugō (“to make subject, subjugate”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘under’) + iugō, jugō (“to join; to yoke”) (from iugum (“collar for a horse; yoke for cattle”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yewg- (“to tie together, join, yoke”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Doublet of yoke.
The noun is derived from the adjective.
adjective
- Forced into submission; subjugated. For al their hye mynde they be now ſubiugate: […]
noun subjugates
- A person forced into submission; a subject. [T]he home-loving Phillipino succumbed—the independent agent, under the influence of the "final cry," became the subjugate.
subjugate²
- /ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡeɪt/ UK
- /ˈsʌbd͡ʒəˌɡeɪt/ US
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English subiugate, subjugaten (“to conquer; to subdue”), from Latin subiugātus, subjugātus (“subjugated”): see further at etymology 1. The verb is attested slightly later than the adjective.
verb subjugates · subjugating · subjugated · subjugate
- To forcibly impose obedience, servitude, or submission upon (a country, a people, etc.). O fav'rite Virgin, that haſt vvarm'd the Breaſt, / VVhoſe ſov'reign Dictates ſubjugate the Eaſt!
- To make (someone or something) subordinate to another person or thing; to subordinate. [H]e wil needes haue ſubiects, before he can ſubiugate his affections, and couets the office of a commander, before he hath learned to ſtoupe to the admonitions of his elders, […]
- To tame (an animal); to domesticate. Though of all other viſible Creatures Man ſeems the leaſt provided vvith natural offenſive Organs, yet by the advantage of his intellectual Faculty and that admirable Organum organorum his Hand, he is infinitely advantaged vvith artificial helps to defend himſelf, and ſubjugate the moſt contumacious
- To put (one's neck or shoulders) under a metaphorical yoke. Let ſuch Princes I ſay adhere to the Pope, & ſubiugate their neckes to his trampling, […]
Translations
Every language
adj forced into submission
| Français | subjugué |
|---|---|
| Русский | порабощать poraboščatʹ, подчинять podčinjatʹ |
verb to forcibly impose obedience, servitude, or submission upon (a country, a people, etc.)
| Español | sojuzgar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 征服 zhēngfú, 制服 zhìfú, 制伏 zhìfú |
| Português | subjugar |
| Français | subjuguer, assujettir |
| Deutsch | unterjochen, unterwerfen |
| Italiano | soggiogare |
| Română | subjuga |
| Русский | подчиня́ть podčinjátʹ, подчини́ть podčinítʹ, покоря́ть pokorjátʹ, покори́ть pokorítʹ, порабоща́ть poraboščátʹ, поработи́ть porabotítʹ |
| العربية | اِسْتَعْبَدَ istaʕbada, قَهَرَ qahara |
| עברית | הכפיף hikhpíf |
Talk about this word "subjugate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/subjugate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. subjugate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/subjugate "subjugate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/subjugate.Cite this
@misc{subjugate_2026,
title = {subjugate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/subjugate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
