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suborn

verb
/səˈbɔːn/

Etymology

PIE word *upó Borrowed from Anglo-Norman suburner, subhorner, and Middle French suborner, subourner (“to induce (someone) to commit a crime (specifically perjury) or wrongdoing”) (modern French suborner (“to suborn; to bribe”)), and from its etymon Latin subōrnāre, the present active infinitive of subōrnō (“to incite, instigate, suborn; to instruct one for a secret purpose; to adorn, dress; to equip, furnish, provide; to make one appear as (something)”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘under’) + ōrnō (“to equip, furnish, provide; to adorn, decorate, ornament”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- (“to put together, fit; to fix; to slot”)). Cognates * Catalan subornar * Italian subornare * Old Occitan subornar, sobornar * Portuguese subornar * Spanish subornar (obsolete), sobornar

  1. derived from *h₂er-✻ — “to put together, fit; to fix; to slot”
  2. borrowed from subōrnāre
  3. borrowed from suborner
  4. borrowed from suburner

Definitions

  1. To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt…

    To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt manner.

    • Till thou to ſpit the venome of thy ſpite, / Subornedſt Cupid how he ſoone might ſlay me, / Abandoning his bowe and arrowes quite, / You laid his priuie complot to betray me; […]

  2. To achieve (some result

    To achieve (some result; specifically, perjury) in a corrupt manner.

    • [U]pon ſingle Perjuries ſuborned by themſelves they condemned Men unheard, and ſold their Eſtates vvithout ſuffering them to ſpeak for themſelves— […]
    • [F]or my part, I vvould as ſoon ſuborn an Evidence at an Aſſize, as a Vote at an Election.

  3. To procure or provide (something) secretly and often in a dishonest manner.

    • In a golden bowl / She then suborn'd a potion, in her soul / Deform'd things thinking; for amidst the wine / She mix'd her man-transforming medicine; […]
    • Firm we ſubſiſt, yet poſſible to ſwerve, / Since Reaſon not impoſſibly may meet / Some ſpecious object by the Foe ſubornd, […]
    • Behold of ev'ry age; ripe manhood ſee, / Decrepit years, and helpleſs infancy: / Thoſe who, by lingring ſickneſs, loſe their breath; / And thoſe vvho, by deſpair, ſuborn their death: […]
  4. ›+ 4 more definitions

    1. To make use of (something), especially for corrupt or dishonest reasons.

      • Nor is he onely content to ſuborne Divine Juſtice in his cenſure of vvhat is paſt, but he aſſumes the perſon of Chriſt himſelf to prognoſticate over us vvhat he vviſhes vvould come.

    2. To aid, assist, or support (something).

      • And fell much wood, that all night we may keep / Plenty of fires, even till the light bring forth the lovely morn; / And let their brightness glaze the skies, that night may not suborn / The Greeks' escape, […]

    3. To furnish or provide (something).

    4. To substitute (a thing) for something else, especially secretly and often in a dishonest…

      To substitute (a thing) for something else, especially secretly and often in a dishonest manner.

      • I wiſh unto thee all ſuperabundant increaſe of the ſingular gifts of abſurditie and vaine glory: […] in ſupplanting and ſetting aſide the true children of the Engliſh, and ſuborning inkehorne changlings in their ſteade; […]

The neighborhood

Derived

subornable, subornative, suborned, subornee, suborner, suborning, unsuborned

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for suborn. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA