adjective/suˈtil/
subtle
“La diferencia sutil entre un vocablo y otro juega un papel importante.” — The subtle difference between one term and another plays an important role.
Related: sutileza, sutilmente
Inherited from Old Spanish sotil (“thin; subtle”), inherited from Latin subtīlis. Although the Old Spanish term was inherited, and was often used concretely ("thin, fine"), since the early modern period it has been increasingly relegated to abstract uses. The vowel change o > u may be due either to the following i, or due to the influence of the Latin etymon.