Since jugus means "yoke" in Latin, subjugate means literally "bring under the yoke". Farmers control oxen by means of a heavy wooden yoke over their shoulders. In ancient Rome, conquered soldiers, stripped of their uniforms, might actually be forced to pass under an ox yoke as a sign of submission to the Roman victors. Even without an actual yoke, what happens to a population that has come under the control of another can be every bit as humiliating. In dozens of countries throughout the world, ethnic minorities are denied basic rights and view themselves as subjugated by their country's government, army, and police.
The emperor's armies subjugated the surrounding lands.
a people subjugated by invaders
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Her physical self lies beneath consideration, eaten by a memoir, subjugated and brutalized to prop up an identity.—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024 After subjugating all of Ukraine, Putin would probably focus on the Baltic states—NATO members covered by the alliance’s security umbrella but claimed as historic Russian lands by Putin.—Hans Binnendijk, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2024 But the threat of escalation is key to subjugating Taiwan without large-scale warfare.—Kyle Balzer, Foreign Affairs, 21 Nov. 2024 That message is stark: that the security of Europe and America itself would suffer if Russia succeeds in subjugating a neighboring country for having chosen to align itself with the democratic West.—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for subjugate
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin subjugatus, past participle of subjugare, from sub- + jugum yoke — more at yoke
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