entry
subjective
/səbˈdʒɛktɪv/Based on personal feelings rather than external facts
From Latin, via Old French and Middle English subject (That which lies beneath).
from Late Latin subiectivus "of the subject, subjective,"
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin subiectivus "of the subject, subjective,"
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin subiectivus "of the subject, subjective,"
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Late Latin subiectivus "of the subject, subjective,"
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin subiectivus "of the subject, subjective,"
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin subiectivus "of the subject, subjective,"
+1 more sourcePicture something literally thrown underneath: that is the image behind Latin subiectus, from sub, “under,” and iacere, “to throw.” A person beneath a ruler’s authority became a subject; in grammar, the subject became the thing lying beneath—or supporting—a proposition, while in art it became the topic placed before the viewer. Around 1500, subjective meant something closer to “submissive” or “belonging to the subject,” but by 1707 it had begun its inward journey toward the mind. Kant and his contemporaries helped popularize that philosophical sense in the eighteenth century, setting subjective against objective as the perceiving self against the perceived world. So when you call a film review subjective, you are echoing an ancient picture: the reviewer’s private mind is the ground beneath the judgment.
The Story
Picture something literally thrown underneath: that is the image behind Latin subiectus, from sub, “under,” and iacere, “to throw.” A person beneath a ruler’s authority became a subject; in grammar, the subject became the thing lying beneath—or supporting—a proposition, while in art it became the topic placed before the viewer. Around 1500, subjective meant something closer to “submissive” or “belonging to the subject,” but by 1707 it had begun its inward journey toward the mind. Kant and his contemporaries helped popularize that philosophical sense in the eighteenth century, setting subjective against objective as the perceiving self against the perceived world. So when you call a film review subjective, you are echoing an ancient picture: the reviewer’s private mind is the ground beneath the judgment.
Kin & Kindred
From 'subject'·That which lies beneath; a person or thing placed under authority or consideration
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From '-ive'·Relating to or characterized by
Derived Terms
English words from this root