n. some situation or event that is thought about; "he kept drifting off the topic"; "he had been thinking about the subject for several years"; "it is a matter for the police"

n. a problem; "is anything the matter?"

n. (grammar) one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the grammatical constituent about which something is predicated

n. that which has mass and occupies space; "an atom is the smallest indivisible unit of matter"

n. a slender bristlelike or tubular process; "a cartilaginous style"

n. a person who owes allegiance to that nation; "a monarch has a duty to his subjects"

n. a vaguely specified concern; "several matters to attend to"; "it is none of your affair"; "things are going well"

n. the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect); "the writing in her novels is excellent"; "that editorial was a fine piece of writing"

n. something (a person or object or scene) selected by an artist or photographer for graphic representation; "a moving picture of a train is more dramatic than a still picture of the same subject"

n. the subject matter of a conversation or discussion; "he didn't want to discuss that subject"; "it was a very sensitive topic"; "his letters were always on the theme of love"

n. a branch of knowledge; "in what discipline is his doctorate?"; "teachers should be well trained in their subject"; "anthropology is the study of human beings"

v. cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to; "He subjected me to his awful poetry"; "The sergeant subjected the new recruits to many drills"; "People in Chernobyl were subjected to radiation"

v. make accountable for; "He did not want to subject himself to the judgments of his superiors"

v. have weight; have import, carry weight; "It does not matter much"

v. make subservient; force to submit or subdue

adj. being under the power or sovereignty of another or others; "subject peoples"; "a dependent prince"

adj. likely to be affected by something (especially something unpleasant); "the bond is subject to taxation"; "he is subject to fits of depression"

n. the subject matter of a conversation or discussion; "he didn't want to discuss that subject"; "it was a very sensitive topic"; "his letters were always on the theme of love"

n. the central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse

n. a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work; "it was the usual `boy gets girl' theme"

n. an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances

n. something intended as a guide for making something else; "a blueprint for a house"; "a pattern for a skirt"

n. the idea that is intended; "What is the meaning of this proverb?"

n. the pervading meaning or tenor; "caught the general drift of the conversation"

n. a feeling of sympathy for someone or something; "She felt strong concern for those less fortunate"

n. something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness; "New York traffic is a constant concern"; "it's a major worry"

n. an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole; "several of the details are similar"; "a point of information"

n. a source of difficulty; "one trouble after another delayed the job"; "what's the problem?"

n. artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitransparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress"

n. a person committed to your care; "the teacher led her charges across the street"

n. a person who relies on another person for support (especially financial support)

n. the earliest known inhabitants of a region

n. someone regarded as certain to succeed; "he's a natural for the job"

n. a member of an uncivilized people

n. someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there

n. a person holding a fief; a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord

n. (Middle Ages) a person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord

n. an assistant subject to the authority or control of another

n. the younger of two men

n. a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

n. someone who works as hard as a slave

n. the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time; "the present international situation is dangerous"; "wondered how such a state of affairs had come about"; "eternal truths will be neither true nor eternal unless they have fresh meaning for every new social situation"- Franklin D.Roosevelt

n. some situation or event that is thought about; "he kept drifting off the topic"; "he had been thinking about the subject for several years"; "it is a matter for the police"

n. the central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse

n. a brief version of the essential meaning of something; "get to the point"; "he missed the point of the joke"; "life has lost its point"

n. education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings; "he took a course in basket weaving"; "flirting is not unknown in college classes"

n. the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

n. the most important point

n. the significance of a story or event; "the moral of the story is to love thy neighbor"

n. one of a series published periodically; "she found an old issue of the magazine in her dentist's waiting room"

n. the particular occupation for which you are trained

v. place in doubt or express doubtful speculation; "I wonder whether this was the right thing to do"; "she wondered whether it would snow tonight"

v. send or direct for treatment, information, or a decision; "refer a patient to a specialist"; "refer a bill to a committee"

v. mean or intend to express or convey; "You never understand what I mean!"; "what do his words intend?"

v. convey or express a meaning; "These words mean nothing to me!"; "What does his strange behavior signify?"

v. reflect deeply on a subject; "I mulled over the events of the afternoon"; "philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years"; "The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate"

v. determine the weight of; "The butcher weighed the chicken"

v. exercise authoritative control or power over; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces"

v. exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?"

v. rule a country as a tyrant

adj. directed toward a specific object; "particularized thinking as distinct from stereotyped sloganeering"

adj. (sometimes followed by `to') minor or casual or subordinate in significance or nature or occurring as a chance concomitant or consequence; "incidental expenses"; "the road will bring other incidental advantages"; "extra duties incidental to the job"; "labor problems incidental to a rapid expansion"; "confusion incidental to a quick change"

v. be of importance or consequence; "This matters to me!"

adj. of or relating to a person who is subordinate to another

adj. having partial rights and privileges or subordinate status; "an associate member"; "an associate professor"

adj. of the lowest rank in a category: "a buck private"

adj. acting as substitute for another

adj. subject to a ruling authority; "the ruled mass"

adj. belonging to a lower class or rank

adj. compliant and obedient to authority; "editors and journalists who express opinions in print that are opposed to the interests of the rich are dismissed and replaced by subservient ones"-G. B. Shaw

adj. lower in rank, power, or authority; "an under secretary"

adj. "liable to criminal charges"

n. a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country

n. a person who rules or commands; "swayer of the universe"

n. a person who has general authority over others

adj. greatest in status or authority or power; "a supreme tribunal"

adj. (of persons) freed from or not subject to an obligation or liability (as e.g. taxes) to which others or other things are subject; "a beauty somehow exempt from the aging process"; "exempt from jury duty"; "only the very poorest citizens should be exempt from income taxes"