intr.v. sub·sid·ed, sub·sid·ing, sub·sides 1. a. To become less intense, active, or severe; abate. b. To become smaller or less prominent, as swelling. See Synonyms at decrease. 2. To move or sink to a lower or normal level: The earth subsided as the aquifer drained away. 3. To sink to the bottom, as a sediment. 4. To sit down slowly; settle down: "She looked swiftly around, and once she saw her husband, subsided primly onto the edge of a chair" (Jane Stevenson). [Latin subsīdere : sub-, sub- + sīdere, to settle; see sed- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] sub·sidence (səb-sīdns, sŭbsĭ-dns) n. |
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