All 5 Uses of
subside
in
The Scarlet Letter
- When no longer called upon to speak or listen—either of which operations cost him an evident effort—his face would briefly subside into its former not uncheerful quietude.
p. 21.3subside = become less intense
- After a brief space, the convulsion grew almost imperceptible, and finally subsided into the depths of his nature.†
p. 58.4subsided = became less intense, less severe, or less active -- perhaps went away entirely
- The moans of the little patient subsided; its convulsive tossings gradually ceased; and in a few moments, as is the custom of young children after relief from pain, it sank into a profound and dewy slumber.
p. 68.2 *
- Hester had schooled herself long and well; and she never responded to these attacks, save by a flush of crimson that rose irrepressibly over her pale cheek, and again subsided into the depths of her bosom.†
p. 79.5
- "He has but increased the debt!" answered the physician, and as he proceeded, his manner lost its fiercer characteristics, and subsided into gloom.
p. 159.2subsided = became less intense
Definitions:
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(1)
(subside as in: her anger subsided) become less intense, less severe, or less active -- perhaps going away entirely
-
(2)
(subside as in: the ground subsided) sink or settle to a lower level
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(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
In classic literature, subside may be used as a synonym for sit as in "She subsided into the chair."