'Subdue' is Latin for 'draw from below' — from 'sub-' + 'ducere' (to lead). It shifted to 'conquer.'
To overcome, bring under control, or conquer by force or persuasion; to make quieter or less intense.
From Anglo-Norman 'suduire,' from Old French 'souduire' (to seduce, mislead, overcome), from Latin 'subdūcere,' meaning 'to draw from below, to withdraw, to lead away secretly,' composed of 'sub-' (under, from below) and 'dūcere' (to lead). The English word's meaning shifted from the Latin sense of 'leading away secretly' toward 'conquering' and 'bringing under control,' influenced by association with Latin 'subdere' (to place under, to subject). Key roots: sub- (Latin: "under, from below
The meaning of 'subdue' shifted considerably from its Latin source. Latin 'subdūcere' meant to draw away secretly or to withdraw — a ship was 'subdūcere' when hauled ashore. But in Old French and Anglo-Norman, the word absorbed the sense of 'conquering' or 'overcoming,' probably influenced by Latin 'subdere' (to subject, place under). By the time it reached English, the 'secret withdrawal' sense had vanished