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Thin; not dense or gross; rare; as, subtile air; subtile vapor; a subtile medium.

Excessively subtile.

Fig.: The fine diffusive quality of intellectual power; flavor; as, the subtile aroma of genius.

Any subtile, invisible emanation, effluvium, or exhalation from a substance, as the aroma of flowers, the odor of the blood, a supposed fertilizing emanation from the pollen of flowers, etc.

Subtile or invisible emanation; exhalation perceived by the sense of smell; especially, noisome or noxious exhalation; as, the effluvium from diseased or putrefying bodies, or from ill drainage.

To convert into ether, or into subtile fluid; to saturate with ether.

Not gross; subtile; thin; tenous. The eye standeth in the finer medium and the object in the grosser. Bacon.

in general a form of molecular disturbance or vibration. It was formerly supposed to be a subtile, imponderable fluid, to which was given the name caloric.

That which is impertinent; a thing out of place, or of no value. There are many subtile impertinences learned in schools. Watts.

he plural, a name formely applied to heat, light, electricity, and magnetism, regarded as subtile flyids destitute of weight but in modern science little used.

Connection; tie. Man is doubtless one by some subtile nexus ... extending from the new-born infant to the superannuated dotard. De Quincey.

Delicate; refined; dainty; pure. Dear love, continue nice and chaste. Donne. A nice and subtile happiness. Milton.

o contrive unfairly or fraudulently; to plot. [Obs.] He lost life . . . upon a nice point subtilely devised and packed by his enemies. Fuller.

A small, fine brush of hair or bristles used by painters for laying on colors. With subtile pencil depainted was this storie. Chaucer.

trant; power of entering or piercing; penetrating power of quality; as, the penetrancy of subtile effluvia.

Having power to enter or pierce; penetrating; sharp; subtile; as, penetrant cold. "Penetrant and powerful arguments." Boyle.

mysterious or difficult subject; to comprehend; to understand. Things which here were too subtile for us to penetrate. Ray.

Having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading; sharp; subtile; penetrative; as, a penetrating odor.

Of or pertaining to a sophist; embodying sophistry; fallaciously subtile; not sound. His argument . . . is altogether sophistical. Macaulay. -- So*phis"tic*al*ly, adv. -- So*phis"tic*al*ness, n.

Subtile. [Obs.]