noun
subject
SUB-jikt/ˈsʌbdʒɪkt/
The person or thing receiving focused consideration.
The sunflower is the subject of their discussion.
Etymology
“Throw under” became “place beneath,” an image of underlying material. The topic sense probably arose by shortening subject matter, whose historical expression meant “that which lies beneath”: the material a discussion or work addresses.
In context
my students are a little nervous about changing the subject because you don't want to be rude and you don't really know how to talk about something different
More examples
- Math is her favorite subject in school.
- The artist asks her subject to sit still.
- In the sentence "Birds sing," "Birds" is the subject.
Forms
subject · subjects