Emily Dickinson Lexicon

subtle, adj. [OFr < L. 'finely woven'.]

1. Faint; frail; fragile; flimsy; delicate; quiet;.
2. Sly; quiet; composed; refined.
3. Underground; subterranean; [fig.] hidden; clandestine.
4. Exceptional; penetrating; self-contained; huge; strong, infinite.
5. Ironic; clever; selective; Something almost beyond understanding, and yet simple.