Origin: 1325–75; ME < L subtīlis fine (orig. of fabric), equiv. to sub-sub-+ -tīlis, akin to tēla cloth on a loom, loom (< *tekslā, deriv. of texere to weave; see text)
c.1374, "clever, dexterous," from O.Fr. subtil (14c.), from L. subtilis "fine, thin, delicate" (see subtle). A Latinized refashioning of the O.Fr. source of subtle.
[suht-l, suhb-til] 
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