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sub·ju·gate

(sŭbjə-gāt′)

tr.v. sub·ju·gat·ed, sub·ju·gat·ing, sub·ju·gates

1. To bring under control, especially by military force; conquer.

2. To make subordinate or subject to the dominion of something else: "The urgency of the mating season is subjugated, for the moment, to the demands of self-preservation" (David M. Carroll).

[Middle English subjugaten, from Latin subiugāre, subiugāt- : sub-, sub- + iugum, yoke; see yeug- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

sub′ju·gation n.

subju·ga′tor n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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