Subjects

sub·ject  (sbjkt)

adj.

1. Being in a position or in circumstances that place one under the power or authority of another or others: subject to the law.

2. Prone; disposed: a child who is subject to colds.

3. Likely to incur or receive; exposed: a directive subject to misinterpretation.

4. Contingent or dependent: a vacation subject to changing weather.

n.

1. One who is under the rule of another or others, especially one who owes allegiance to a government or ruler.

2.

a. One concerning which something is said or done: a subject of gossip.

b. Something that is treated or indicated in a work of art.

c. Music A theme of a composition, especially a fugue.

3. A course or area of study: Math is her best subject.

4. A basis for action; a cause.

5.

a. One that experiences or is subjected to something: the subject of ridicule.

b. A person or animal that is the object of medical or scientific study: The experiment involved 12 subjects.

c. A corpse intended for anatomical study and dissection.

d. One who is under surveillance: The subject was observed leaving the scene of the murder.

6. Grammar The noun, noun phrase, or pronoun in a sentence or clause that denotes the doer of the action or what is described by the predicate.

7. Logic The term of a proposition about which something is affirmed or denied.

8. Philosophy

a. The essential nature or substance of something as distinguished from its attributes.

b. The mind or thinking part as distinguished from the object of thought.

tr.v. (sb-jkt) sub·ject·ed, sub·ject·ing, sub·jects

1. To submit for consideration.

2. To submit to the authority of.

3. To expose to something: patients subjected to infection.

4. To cause to experience: subjected to extreme weather.

5. To subjugate; subdue.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sbiectus, from past participle of sbicere, to subject : sub-, sub- + iacere, to throw; see y- in Indo-European roots.]

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sub·jection (sb-jkshn) n.

Synonyms: subject, matter, topic, theme
These nouns denote the principal idea or point of a speech, a piece of writing, or an artistic work. Subject is the most general: "Well, honor is the subject of my story" (Shakespeare).
Matter refers to the material that is the object of thought or discourse: "This distinction seems to me to go to the root of the matter" (William James).
A topic is a subject of discussion, argument, or conversation: "They would talk of . . . fashionable topics, such as pictures, taste, Shakespeare" (Oliver Goldsmith).
Theme refers especially to an idea, a point of view, or a perception that is developed and expanded on in a work of art: "To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme" (Herman Melville). See Also Synonyms at citizen, dependent.

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Subjects those under the dominion of a reigning prince, collectively—Wilkes.