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subject

US //ˈsəbdʒɪkt// sub·ject
  1. 1 topic (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the thing you are talking, writing, or thinking about.

    the main theme or topic of a conversation, book, or work of art.

    Example

    The subject of the meeting was the new office budget.

    Example

    The documentary explores a difficult subject with great sensitivity, focusing on the lives of families displaced by the recent floods.
  2. 2 field of study (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    an area of knowledge that you study at school or university.

    a branch of knowledge or an academic discipline studied in an educational institution.

    Example

    Math was always my favorite subject when I was in high school.

    Example

    Students are encouraged to choose at least one science subject to ensure a well-rounded academic foundation before they specialise.
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  1. 3 research participant (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Science

    a person or animal that is being studied in an experiment.

    an individual or entity that is the focus of medical, psychological, or scientific testing.

    Example

    The subjects in the sleep study were asked to keep a daily journal.

    Example

    Researchers monitored the subjects for six months to determine if the new medication had any long-term side effects on blood pressure.
  2. 4 citizen of a monarchy (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

    a person who lives in a country ruled by a king or queen.

    a person who resides in a state and owes allegiance to a monarch or sovereign power.

    Example

    The king addressed his subjects from the balcony of the palace.

    Example

    As a British subject living abroad, he was still entitled to certain protections from the embassy during the crisis.
  3. 5 to force an experience (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to make someone experience something unpleasant.

    to cause someone or something to undergo a specific, usually negative, experience or treatment.

    Example

    The prisoners were subjected to very cold temperatures during the night.

    Example

    The new aircraft wing was subjected to extreme pressure in the laboratory to ensure it would not fail during a storm.

    Usage

    Takes the preposition 'to' followed by a noun.
  4. 6 depending on (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

    only happening if something else happens first.

    conditional upon or depending on something else.

    Example

    The outdoor party is subject to the weather being good on Saturday.

    Example

    The sale of the property is subject to a final building inspection and the approval of the bank loan.

    Usage

    Followed by the preposition 'to'.
  5. 7 likely to experience (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    likely to be affected by something, usually something bad.

    having a tendency to be affected by or to experience something unpleasant.

    Example

    This area is subject to flooding during the heavy rain in winter.

    Example

    Flights in this region are often subject to delays because of the unpredictable mountain fog.

    Usage

    Followed by the preposition 'to'.
Etymology 1

From Middle English subget, from Old French suget, from Latin subiectus (“lying under or near, adjacent, also subject, exposed”), as a noun, subiectus (“a subject, an inferior”), subiectum (“the subject of a proposition”), past participle of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”), as a calque of Ancient Greek ὑποκείμενον (hupokeímenon).

Etymology 2

From Latin subiectus (“a subject, an inferior”), subiectum (“the subject of a proposition”), past participle of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”).

Etymology 3

From Medieval Latin subiectō, iterative of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”).

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