Subvert and Suborn

Subvert and Suborn Subvert and Suborn Subvert and Suborn By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked for a discussion of the words subvert and suborn. Both are verbs and both have been used with meanings no longer common. Deriving ultimately from a Latin word for â€Å"to overturn,† subvert came into English from French subvertir, â€Å"to raze, destroy completely.† The meaning has developed from the literal destruction of a town or building to mean the overturning of an established practice or belief. Example: Critics assert that allowing women to become priests would subvert apostolic teachings regarding the role of women in the Church. Subvert was once used to mean the bringing down of a nation or a state, but now the sense is â€Å"to undermine without necessarily bringing down the established authority.† Example: Efforts are being made by means of sabotage to subvert that country’s efforts to build a war machine. Socrates was accused of subverting youth with his teachings. This sense of subvert is â€Å"to corrupt or pervert a person, or a persons mind, causing the person to turn away from a path or belief regarded as right or proper.† Jazz and rock music have been criticized as subverting youthful morals. Literary critics use the word subvert in terms of challenging and undermining a conventional idea, form, or genre by presenting it in a new way. An example of this use of subvert is the way Joss Whedon took the clichà © of the helpless, usually blonde, beauty who enters an alley to be murdered by a monster, and turned it on its head to create the character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He â€Å"subverted† the horror genre. Subvert applies principally to the overthrow of ideas. Suborn has to do with causing an individual to commit a crime. Like subvert, suborn entered English by way of French. It meant â€Å"to induce a person to commit a crime, especially to give false testimony.† It now means â€Å"to cause a person to commit perjury.† The fictional ADAs on TV’s Law and Order often use the term â€Å"suborning perjury.† The legal term is defined as â€Å"the criminal offense of procuring another to commit perjury, which is the crime of lying, in a material matter, while under oath.† Note: ADA stands for Assistant District Attorney. In most U.S. jurisdictions, the District Attorney represents the government in prosecuting criminal offenses. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and NumeralsGrammar Quiz #21: Restrictive and Nonrestrictive ClausesThe Difference Between "Shade" and "Shadow"