subject

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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. 1. One concerning which something is said or done: a subject of gossip.
   2. Something that is treated or indicated in a work of art.
   3. 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. 1. One that experiences or is subjected to something: the subject of ridicule.
   2. A person or animal that is the object of medical or scientific study: The experiment involved 12 subjects.
   3. A corpse intended for anatomical study and dissection.
   4. 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.
   1. The essential nature or substance of something as distinguished from its attributes.
   2. The mind or thinking part as distinguished from the object of thought.

tr.v., -ject·ed, -ject·ing, -jects. (səb-jĕkt')

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.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sūbiectus, from past participle of sūbicere, to subject : sub-, sub- + iacere, to throw.]

subjection sub·jec'tion (səb-jĕk'shən) 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.

Wall Street term referring to a bid and/or offer that is negotiable-that is, a Quotation that is not firm. For example, a broker looking to place a sizable order might call several dealers with the question, "Can you give me a subject quote on 20,000 shares of XYZ?"

Acquiring property with an existing mortgage, but not becoming Personally Liable for the debt. Contrast with Assumption of Mortgage.
Example: Abel bought Land for $1,000 cash, subject to a $99,000 mortgage. If Abel defaults on the Mortgage he will lose the cash Down Payment but is not responsible for the $99,000 Debt.

adjective

1. In a position of subordination: collateral, dependent, subordinate, subservient. See over/under, part/whole.
2. Tending to incur: liable, open, prone, susceptible, susceptive, vulnerable. See likely/unlikely.
3. Determined or to be determined by someone or something else: conditional, conditioned, contingent, dependent, relative, reliant. See start/end.

noun

1. A person owing loyalty to and entitled to the protection of a given state: citizen, national. See group, politics.
2. What a speech, piece of writing, or artistic work is about: argument, matter, point, subject matter, text, theme, topic. See meaning.
3. A sphere of activity, experience, study, or interest: area, arena, bailiwick, circle, department, domain, field, orbit, province, realm, scene, terrain, territory, world. Slang bag. See territory.

verb

1. To lay open, as to something undesirable or injurious: expose. Idioms: open the door to. See protection/exposure.
2. To make subservient or subordinate: enslave, enthrall, subjugate. See free/unfree.

In addition to the idiom beginning with subject, also see change the subject.

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adj

Definition: at the mercy of; answerable
Antonyms: master

n

Definition: person or thing that is submitting
Antonyms: master

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n.pl

The people, animals, or events selected for study to examine a particular variable or condition, such as the effects of a new medication or treatment.

A theme on which a composition is based. In Fugue the term may refer to the main theme in general, or it may distinguish its initial form from that of the Answer that follows. In Sonata form the term is used for each of the two principal themes or groups of themes in the exposition.

The term ‘subject group’ is often used for each of the two sections that make up the exposition of a movement in sonata form, implying several musical ideas defined by function rather than their nature as themes.

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Unable to separate the term subject from the notion of consciousness, Freud placed it in opposition to the external world or the object, or in their reciprocal reversal (1915e). In "New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis" (1933a [1932]) Freud said the ego was "in its proper sense a subject" (p. 58)—not as an essence, but a function to be filled.

Jacques Lacan (1966) changed this by referring to the subject as "the subject of the unconscious" in its "unwitting" dimension, its ex-centricity in relation to itself. The subject is the "it" that the "I" speaks of when the I wishes to refer to itself as unconscious. Or rather, the subject is this very split between the "I" and the "it." The ego, for its part, is not the "I": a precipitate of identifications, it becomes the locus of misapprehension. How, then, is it possible for "the subject to recognize and name his desire"? The answer is that the truth speaks, even if the words spoken convey both the lie of desire and its truth, and even if "the I that speaks is not the same as the I that is spoken."

The Other gives language its sense and the subject is an effect of that sense. The subject of the unconscious is "the subject represented by a signifier for another signifier," and the only important thing is the degree of difference between the two signifiers. The Imaginary also enters into its determination through that which is imagined about the object a, the only object that can be transferred for transference into the place occupied by phallic lack. Thus, "the truth that the I of the unconscious tells us is that only this nothingness sustains it."

Accordingly, for Lacan, the aim of treatment was not to fill this gaping nothingness, but to manifest it and potentially to express it through sublimation . . . or by training psychoanalysts. He emphasized that the kind of listening that took place in analysis often took wrong turns, and thus attempted, in his last years, to reequilibrate his system, notably by using the topological figure of the Borromean knot, to give "consistency" to the Real, the Symbolic, and the Imaginary: "The subject is what is determined by the figure in question: Not that he is in any sense its double, the subject is conditioned by the points at which the knot catches and tightens in these points."

The Lacanian subject is thus very different from the one based on Freudian metapsychology. Lacan's approach upends the theory of subjectivity by making the subject the subject of the drives, who sometimes directs them and at times is directed by them.

This subject is alien to itself, split between the Self and itself, though there is a constant reciprocity of relations between the mind's agencies, and reversibility of the economic and dynamic transformations within the personality as a whole. Among the various modalities of representance, representation appears as the bridge or articulation between the economic dimension and that of meaning, the product of work whose conscious or unconscious quality constitutes modalities that are more or less contingent or necessary, depending on the case, within the figure of tension that is desire.

If, for Freud, the lifting of repression produced conscious awareness, today the emphasis has shifted onto whether or not a new, "subjectivable" meaning can possibly emerge, be assumed by the subject, and through the effects of deferred action [après coup] that constitute psychic reality, itself become a function of both internal constraints and effects of the psychic reality of the object. Piera Aulagnier's "I," the study of the originating conditions of the process of subjectification (Cahn), and the related Aufhebung (sublation, supersession) illuminated by the notion of transitionality (Roussillon) are new approaches centered on the internal and external elements at stake in the splittings and exclusions that oppose this subjective appropriation. Here, in contrast to the problematics of neurosis, where the work of analysand naturally predominates, it is the work of the analyst that is revealed to be determinant, to contain that work, absorb it, and connect its productions.

Bibliography

Aulagnier, Piera. (2001). The violence of interpretation: From pictogram to statement (Alan Sheridan, Trans.). Hove, East Sussex, and Philadelphia: Brunner Routledg. (Original work published 1975)

Cahn, Raymond. (1991). Du sujet. Revue française de psychanalySE, 55, 5-6, 1371-1490.

Freud, Sigmund. (1915e). The unconscious. SE, 14: 159-204.

——. (1933a [1932]). New introductory lectures on psycho-analysis. SE, 22: 1-182.

——. (1940a). An outline of psycho-analysis. SE, 23: 139-207.

Lacan, Jacques. (1977).Écrits: A selection Alan Sheridan, Trans.). New York: Norton. (Original work published 1966).

Roussillon, René. (1995). La métapsychologie des processus et la transitionnalité. Revue française de psychanalyse, LIX.

Further Reading

Ogden, Thomas. (1994). Subjects of analysis. Northvale, NJ: Aronson, Inc.

Renik, Owen. (1998). The analyst's subjectivity and the analyst's objectivity. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 79, 487-498.

Smith, Henry. (1999). Subjectivity and objectivity in analytic listening. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 47, 465-484.

—RAYMOND CAHN

A part of every sentence. The subject tells what the sentence is about; it contains the main noun or noun phrase: “The car crashed into the railing”; “Judy and two of her friends were elected to the National Honor Society.” In some cases the subject is implied: you is the implied subject in “Get me some orange juice.” (Compare predicate.)

An animal subjected to treatment, observation or experiment.

• s. contrast — the difference in relative densities within the subject as distinct from the differences between the subject and the surroundings.

A theme or motif that is the basis for a musical form, such as a fugue or sonata.

The person, event, or theme at the center of a work of literature. A work may have one or more subjects of each type, with shorter works tending to have fewer and longer works tending to have more. The subjects of James Baldwin's novel Go Tell It on the Mountain include the themes of father-son relationships, religious conversion, black life, and sexuality. The subjects of Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl include Anne and her family members as well as World War II, the Holocaust, and the themes of war, isolation, injustice, and racism.

IN BRIEF: Something thought or talked about.

The subject of the conversation was food because everyone was hungry.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - emne, undersåt, genstand, tema, motiv, fag, subjekt, statsborger, patient
adj. - underlagt, underkastet, undergiven, undertvungen, udsat for, under forudsætning af
adv. - under forudsætning af
v. tr. - undertvinge, underkaste, udsætte for, gøre til genstand for

idioms:

• change the subject    skifte emne
• on the subject of    i henhold til, angående, vedrørende
• subject catalogue    emnekatalog
• subject matter    stof, emne, motiv, indhold

Nederlands (Dutch)
onderwerp, vak, proefpersoon/ -object, onderdaan, onderwerpen, afhankelijk

Français (French)
n. - sujet, matière, (Art, Phot) sujet, (Sci) sujet, objet, (Ling) sujet, citoyen
adj. - asservi, sujet (à), soumis, passible (de), dépendant
adv. - sujet à
v. tr. - faire subir qch à qn, faire l'objet de, être soumis à, assujettir

idioms:

• change the subject    changer le sujet
• on the subject of    au sujet de
• subject catalogue    catalogue par sujet
• subject matter    sujet

Deutsch (German)
n. - Staatsbürger, Untertan, Thema, Subjekt, Patient, Fach
v. - unterwerfen
adj. - abhängig, untergeben, unterworfen
adv. - dienstbar

idioms:

• change the subject    das Thema wechseln
• on the subject of    über das Thema
• subject catalogue    Schlagwortkatalog
• subject matter    Gegenstand

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - θέμα, προκείμενο, υπήκοος, πολίτης, υποτελής, αντικείμενο διδασκαλίας, υποκείμενο, ζήτημα, ασθενής (ως περίπτωση), (γραμμ.) υποκείμενο
v. - (καθ)υποτάσσω, εκθέτω σε, υποβάλλω σε
adj. - υπεξούσιος, υποτελής, ρέπων (προς), εκτεθειμένος σε, εξαρτημένος από

idioms:

• change the subject    αλλάζω θέμα
• on the subject of    αναφορικά με, σχετικά με
• subject catalogue    θεματικός κατάλογος
• subject matter    θέμα, περιεχόμενο, αντικείμενο ανάπτυξης

Italiano (Italian)
assoggettare, materia, suddito, argomento, soggetto, esemplare, tema, dipendente

idioms:

• change the subject    cambiare argomento
• on the subject of    a proposito
• subject catalogue    catalogo
• subject matter    oggetto
• subject to    a condizione che, a condizione di

Português (Portuguese)
n. - sujeito (m), assunto (m)
v. - sujeitar
adj. - sujeito

idioms:

• change the subject    mudar de assunto
• on the subject of    sobre o assunto de
• subject catalogue    catálogo de assuntos
• subject matter    matéria
• subject to    sujeito a

Русский (Russian)
предмет, тема, дисциплина, объект, повод, подданый, субъект, человек, подлежащее, подчиненный, подверженный, подлежащий (чему-л.), подчинять, подвергать, представлять

idioms:

• change the subject    сменить тему (разговора)
• on the subject of    на тему чего-л.
• subject catalogue    предметный каталог
• subject matter    содержание, предмет (дискуссии, договора), субстанция
• subject to    при условии, с соблюдением, допуская, если

Español (Spanish)
n. - súbdito, asunto, tema, sujeto, asignatura, materia, disciplina, motivo, objeto, dependiente, vasallo, razón, ocasión
adj. - dependiente, sujeto, sometido, dominado, supeditado, obediente, sumiso, expuesto, propenso, vasallo
adv. - estudios, motivo, obedientemente
v. tr. - someter, sojuzgar, dominar, supeditar, sujetar, subordinar

idioms:

• change the subject    cambiar de tema
• on the subject of    a propósito de, referente al tema de
• subject catalogue    catálogo por temas
• subject matter    materia, tema, contenido, asunto, asignatura

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - undersåte, medborgare, ämne, motiv, tema, föremål, patient
v. - underkuva, betvinga, undertrycka, utsätta, prisge, låta undergå
adj. - underlydande, underkuvad, lyd-, beroende av

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
题目, 科目, 主题, 受他国统治的, 受制于...的, 未独立的, 在...条件下, 使隶属, 使受到

idioms:

• change the subject    改变话题
• on the subject of    关于某事情, 关于...的事, 谈到...时, 涉及...时
• subject catalogue    分类目录
• subject matter    题材, 论题, 主题, 话题

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 題目, 科目, 主題
adj. - 受他國統治的, 受制於...的, 未獨立的
adv. - 在...條件下
v. tr. - 使隸屬, 使受到

idioms:

• change the subject    改變話題
• on the subject of    關於某事情, 關於...的事, 談到...時, 涉及...時
• subject catalogue    分類目錄
• subject matter    題材, 論題, 主題, 話題

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 주제, 당면 과제, 국민
adj. - 지배를 받는, 복종하는, ~하기위해 ~을 필요로 하는
adv. - 지배를 받게, 받기 쉽게
v. tr. - 복종시키다, (병에) 잘 걸리다, 맡기다

idioms:

• change the subject    화제를 바꾸다, 주제를 바꾸다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 主題, 科目, 学科, 主語, 臣民, 国民, 臣下, 被験者, 原因, 対象
adj. - 服従する, 支配される, 受けやすい, かかりやすい, 必要とする
v. - 従属させる, 経験させる, さらす

idioms:

• off the subject    問題からそれて
• on the subject of    …に関して
• subject catalogue    主題目録
• subject matter    内容, 主題, 素材
• subject to    条件として

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) موضوع, مادة تعليميه, رعيه, مواطن (فعل) أخضع (صفه) خاضع ل, عرضه ل, قابل ل, بشرط‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נתין, אזרח, חומר, נושא, עניין, מקצוע, ענף מחקר, הגלם, חיית-ניסוי, אדם, ישות חשה, מוטיב (מוסיקה), נושא (תחביר), ההכרה, ה"אני", עיקרו של דבר בנפרד מתכונותיו‬
adj. - ‮כפוף, נשלט, נוטה, מותנה‬
adv. - ‮בכפוף ל-, בתנאי ש-‬
v. tr. - ‮הכניע, השתלט על, חשף, העביר, גרם חוויה ל-, כפף‬

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