Subjectioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of being placed under the authority, power, or control of another person or group
2. An archaic term for submission to someone else's rule, dominance, or command
3. Being held in a state of obedience and dependence under the power of a superior or ruler

Etymology: Its root is a physical gesture. Latin "subicere" meant "to throw under," built from "sub" ("under") and "iacere" ("to throw"). The same "iacere" stands behind English "reject" and "project," so a subjection was once, literally, something placed beneath another. The noun came into English through Old French as "subjection." The Middle English spelling "subjectioun" is an older form of the same word, and it meant the state of being under another's authority, whether in feudal lordship, political rule, or personal obedience.