v. Also 6 subtelise, 7 subtillize, 7– subtilise. [ad. med.L. subtīlizāre, f. subtīlis SUBTLE a.: see -IZE. Cf. F. subtiliser, It. sottilezzare, Sp. sutilizar, Pg. subtilisar.]
1. trans. To render thin or rare, less gross or coarse, more fluid or volatile; to rarefy, refine. (occas. const. into.) Now rare or Obs.
1597. Lowe, Chirurg., IX. Cc 3. If the bloud be grosse, vse frictions to subtilize it and make it runne.
1603. Holland, Plutarch’s Mor., 1339. For aire is engendred by the extinction of fire: and the same againe being subtilized and rarefied, produceth fire.
1662. Merrett, trans. Neri’s Art of Glass, xliii. That the water may penetrate and subtilise the ingredients.
1680. Boyle, Exper. Chem. Princ., I. 26. Fermentation rarefy’s the oyly parts of the Juice of Grapes, and subtilizes them into vinous spirits.
1731. Miller, Gard. Dict., s.v. Leaves, To subtilize … the Abundance of nourishing Sap, and to convey it to the little Buds.
1758. Reid, trans. Macquer’s Chym., I. 43. Fire only subtilizes and attenuates the earthy matter.
1863. Kirk, Chas. Bold, I. 68. There [sc. Flanders] the products of the earth are mingled, subtilized, shaped into new forms, exchanged, and redistributed.
absol. 1612. Benvenuto’s Passenger, I. ii. 103. Those preserued in pickle doe astringe, subtilize, cut, obsterpe and open.
1725. Bradley’s Fam. Dict., s.v. Saxifrage, The properties of it are to … Cleanse, Open, Subtilize and Dissolve.
† b. To sublimate. Obs.
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Sublimé, Argent sublimé, Mercurie subtilized by the Limbecke.
1799. G. Smith, Laboratory, I. 120. Repeat this till you can subtilize no more of calx.
† c. To comminute. Obs.
a. 1722. Lisle, Husb. (1757), 7. Stirring the earth, subtilizing it’s parts, and turning it up to the air.
1739. [Eliz. Carter], trans. Algarotti on Newton’s Philos., II. 112. When they are groun’d (that is when their Parts are subtilised) their Colours change.
2. fig. To exalt, elevate, sublime, refine.
1638. T. Whitaker, Blood of Grape, 34. What panick feares doth wine prevent in the Souldier subtilizing their drooping spirits.
1652. J. Wright, trans. Camus’ Nat. Paradox, I. 20. What cannot this Passion do when it refineth and subtilizeth thus such young Souls!
1750. Johnson, Rambler, No. 114, ¶ 5. The art of thievery is … subtilized to higher degrees of dexterity.
1774. J. Bryant, Mythol., II. 276. He tries to subtilize, and refine all the base jargon about Saturn.
1836. Blackw. Mag., XL. 329. We subtilize this conception till we fit it to make part of our notion of matter in its utmost abstraction.
1856. R. A. Vaughan, Mystics (1860), I. III. ii. 61. By reducing the soul to its most abstract simplicity, we subtilise it so that it expands into the infinite.
1870. R. C. Jebb, Sophocles’ Electra (ed. 2), p. ix. The mythus … has been … gradually subtilized by touches palliating the crime.
1910. Even. Post (N. Y.), 15 Jan., 6. The attempt to subtilize and mysticize the plain old freebooting narrative.
b. const. into, to; also with away.
1644. Digby, Nat. Bodies, 3 b. Sence with distinctions they so nicely pare, They subtilize it quite away to aire.
1661. Glanvill, Van. Dogm., xvii. 167. The most obvious Verity is subtiliz’d into niceties, and spun into a thread indiscernible by common Opticks.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., V. 9. To raise the low, to magnify the mean, And subtilize the gross into refin’d.
1852. Hawthorne, Blithedale Rom., xii. 126. By long brooding over our recollections, we subtilize them into something akin to imaginary stuff.
3. To render (the mind, the senses, etc.) acute or penetrating.
1642. H. More, Song of Soul, III. I. xxxii. Rayes down sent From higher sourse the mind do maken pure, Do clear, do subtilise.
1652. J. Wright, trans. Camus’ Nat. Paradox, X. 239. See how the extremity of danger doth subtilize men’s Wits.
1725. Bradley’s Fam. Dict., s.v. Air, Good Air … exhilarates the Heart, subtilizes the Senses, sharpens the Understanding.
1865. Daily Tel., 9 Nov., 6/6. Subtilising and strengthening his intellect by familiarity with the psychological and ontological problems of the schools.
4. To render subtle, introduce subtleties or nice distinctions into; also, to argue subtly upon.
1599. Sandys, Europæ Spec. (1629), 155. They which do subtilize the points of goodnes more curiously, will say that Pivs Quintvs was a good Prælat, but no good Prince.
1635. J. Hayward, trans. Biondi’s Banish’d Virg., 33. Speculation too much subtilized makes a man unfit … for the contemplative life.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., III. x. § 7. ’Tis no wonder if the wit of man so employ’d, should perplex, involve, and subtilize the signification of sounds.
1732. Waterland, Chr. Vind. agst. Infid., 48. The Mysticks followed, and deviated in like manner with the former, by over-refining and subtilizing plain Things.
1745. Warburton, Serm. (2 Pet. i. 6), Wks. 1788, V. 134. They spent their whole lives in agitating and subtilizing questions of faith.
1814. D’Israeli, Quarrels Auth. (1867), 260. Plain words were subtilised to remove conceits.
1826. Disraeli, Viv. Grey, II. i. He commented upon expressions, he split and subtilized words.
5. intr. To make subtle distinctions; to argue or reason in a subtle manner; to split hairs.
1592. Daniel, Compl. Rosamond, xxxii. Th’ one autentique made her fit to teach, The other learnt her how to subtelise.
1606. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. iv. Magnificence, 476. In doubtfull Cases he can subtilize.
a. 1754. Maclaurin, Serm. & Ess. (1755), 330. It should make us very cautious how we subtilize against it.
a. 1797. H. Walpole, Geo. II. (1847), II. iv. 115. We were not to be explained out of our liberties, nor by being taught to subtilize, to lose respect for the essential.
1873. Symonds, Grk. Poets, vii. 203. Wrangling, perorating, subtilizing, seeking victory in strife of words.
b. Const. on, upon, about. Also in indirect pass.
1644. Digby, Nat. Bodies, vi. § 1. 40. Of such nature, are the qualities and moodes, that some moderne Philosophers haue so subtilised vpon.
1653. R. G., trans. Bacon’s Hist. Winds, 174. They would not subtilize about that subject in infinitum.
1662. Evelyn, Sculptura, 107. However afterwards subtilized upon and cultivated.
1758. Goldsm., Mem. Prot. (1895), II. 103. But what will not Men do … who subtilize upon the commonest Duties until they no longer appear binding?
1843. Mrs. Browning, Lett. R. H. Horne (1877), I. 70. It [sc. shyness] is a species of consciousness which is … resolvable into self-love, subtilise about it as we may.
1858–9. G. P. Marsh, Engl. Lang., xiii. (1862), 193. Rask … has subtilized so far upon them [sc. intonations], that few of his own countrymen, even, have sufficient acuteness of ear to follow him.
Hence Subtilized ppl. a.
1674. A. G., Quest. conc. Oath Alleg., 21. Heat first extenuates, and then draws away the subtiliz’d parts.
1719. Quincy, Compl. Disp., 9. What passes for Spirit as a Principle, is no other than an highly subtilized Salt.
1741. Middleton, Cicero, II. 549. The Stoics fancied, that the soul was a subtilized, fiery substance.
1858. Sears, Athan., vii. 64. Not that the spiritual world is a subtilized natural one on the plane of materialism.
1878. Hardy, Ret. Native, III. viii. Brimming with the subtilised misery that he was capable of feeling.
