(adj.adv.) : subtīlis, e, adj.sub-tela; and therefore, prop., woven fine; hence
* Fine, not thick or coarse, thin, slender, minute (syn. tenuis).
* Lit. (mostly poet. and in postAug. prose; not in Cic.): quae vulgo volitant subtili praedita filo,Lucr. 4, 88: ventus subtili corpore tenuis,id. 4, 901; cf. id. 3, 195; Cat. 54, 3: acies gladii,Sen. Ep. 76, 14: farina,Plin. 18, 7, 14, § 74: mitra,Cat. 64, 63: ignis,Lucr. 6, 225: subtilia et minuta primordia rerum,id. 4, 122; 4, 114.— Subst.: subtīlĭa, ĭum, n. plur., fine goods or stuffs, Vulg. Isa. 19, 9: indui te subtilibus,id. Ezech. 16, 10.—Comp.: harundo,Plin. 16, 36, 66, § 168: semen raporum,id. 18, 13, 34, § 129.—Sup.: sucus subtilissimus,Plin. 11, 5, 4, § 11.
* Transf., of the senses, fine, nice, acute, delicate, exqui site (rare): palatum,Hor. S. 2, 8, 38: subtilior gula,Col. 8, 16, 4.
* Trop., fine, nice, precise, exact, accurate, keen, subtle (class.; syn.: elegans, concinnus).
* In gen.: sollers subtilisque descriptio,Cic. N. D. 2, 47, 121: definitio,id. de Or. 1, 23, 109: observatio,Plin. 18, 13, 35, § 132: sententia,id. 18, 17, 46, § 165: argumentatio,id. 2, 108, 112, § 247: quaestio,id. 11, 16, 16, § 46: Graecia,Manil. 4, 718.—Comp.: reliquae (epistulae) subtiliores erunt,more particular,Cic. Att. 5, 14, 3.—Sup.: quae (curatio manus) inter subtilissimas haberi potest,Cels. 7, 7, 13: inventum,Plin. 31, 3, 23, § 40: Democritus, subtilissimus antiquorum,Sen. Q. N. 7, 3, 2.
* Transf., of taste or judgment, fine, keen, delicate, exquisite (syn.: sagax, acutus): judicium,Cic. Fam. 15, 6, 1; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 242; cf.: subtilis veterum judex,id. S. 2, 7, 101: sapiens subtilisque lector,Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 7: vir subtilis, dispositus, acer, disertus,id. ib. 2, 11, 17; 4, 17, 4.
* In partic., in rhet., of speech or of the speaker, plain, simple, unadorned (syn. simplex): genus dicendi,Cic. Or. 21, 69; cf.: acutissimum et subtilissimum dicendi genus,id. de Or. 2, 23, 98: oratio,id. Or. 5, 20; cf. id. ib. 23, 78: Stoicorum non ignoras, quam sit subtile vel spinosum potius dicendi genus,id. Fin. 3, 1, 3: subtile quod ἰσχνὸν vocant, Quint. 12, 10, 58: disputator,Cic. Off. 1, 1, 3: quis illo (Catone) in docendo edisserendoque subtilior?id. Brut. 17, 65: oratione limatus atque subtilis,id. de Or. 1, 39, 180; cf. id. de Or. 3, 8, 31: Lysias subtilis scriptor atque elegans, id. Brut. 9, 35; Quint. 10, 1, 78: praeceptor,id. 1, 4, 25; 12, 10, 51.—Hence, adv.: subtīlĭter, finely, minutely.
* Lit.: subtiliter insinuatus ad parvas partes aër,Lucr. 6, 1031: conexae res,closely, intimately,id. 3, 739: dividere aliquid,Plin. 5, 12, 13, § 67: fodere,lightly, superficially,Pall. Febr. 21 fin.
* Trop., finely, acutely, minutely, accurately, subtly.
* In gen.: subtiliter judicare,finely, acutely,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 57, § 127: de re publicā quid ego tibi subtiliter? tota periit,minutely, particularly,id. Att. 2, 21, 1; cf.: haec ad te scribam alias subtilius,id. ib. 1, 13, 4: subtiliter exsequi numerum,Liv. 3, 5: de aliquā re subtiliter disserere,Cic. Fl. 17, 41: aliquid persequi,id. de Or. 1, 21, 98; cf.: id persequar subtilius,id. Rep. 2, 23, 42: subtilius haec disserunt,id. Lael. 5, 18: subtilius ista quaerunt,id. ib. 2, 7 et saep.
* In partic., in rhet., plainly, simply, without ornament: humilia subtiliter et magna graviter et mediocria temperate dicere,Cic. Or. 29, 100: versute et subtiliter dicere,id. ib. 7, 22: privatas causas agere subtilius: capitis aut famae ornatius,id. Fam. 9, 21, 1: magnifice an subtiliter dicere,Quint. 8, 3, 40.