Subduing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The maneuver of gaining control over something or someone involves lessening intensity or force while providing a means to assert authority or dominance
2. Bringing something or someone under control by decreasing strength or opposition
3. Achieving mastery over a person or situation by reducing its power or intensity

Etymology: "Subduing" is the present participle of "subdue," so the history belongs to the verb. The verb came into Middle English as "subdewen" or "subduen," borrowed through Old French "souduire" from Latin "subdūcō," which meant "to draw away" or "to withdraw." That original sense is a surprise: nothing in "draw away" hints at conquest. The word's modern sense of overpowering or bringing under control seems to have been shaped by another Latin verb, "subdō," meaning "to subdue or subject," which probably blended in with the older form. Over time the meaning moved from physical withdrawal toward forcing something into submission. Today "subduing" can describe overpowering an opponent, but it can also describe softening something, as when a colour is subdued or a light is dimmed. Both senses trace back to the same idea of bringing something under a firmer hand.

Synonyms: conquering, overcoming, defeating, overpowering, vanquishing

Antonyms: liberating, freeing, releasing, emancipating, unshackling