Q. Can you explain the origin of the word "subtle" and why the "b" is silent? Is there any other word that has a silent "b"? — Joanne Anderson, New Britain, Conn.

A. At the risk of being not so subtle, I love the word "subtle" ! Why? Because its history illuminates the fascinating evolution of English.

The ancient Romans used the adjective "subtilis" to describe fabric that was finely woven and gossamer-like, the kind of delicate material that might be used for a veil. "Subtilis" was a contraction of "subtexilis," from "sub" (under) and "texare" (to weave), so it literally meant "underwoven."

The Latin "subtilis" somehow lost its "b" when it migrated north into Old French as "soutil," meaning "thin, fine, delicate."

Then, during the Norman invasion of the 11th century, "soutil" jumped the Channel to Britain, where it landed in English as "sotil." Soon the meaning of "sotil" expanded from "physical delicacy" to the modern abstract meanings of meaning of "subtle": "difficult to detect, elusive."

Our little immigrant heroine "sotil" was cruising along in English very nicely, thank you, until the 1600s. Enter the Latinists. (Cue menacing bass viols.)

During the 1600s, a group of British scholars, obsessed by their newfound passion for classical languages, began respelling many English words to reflect their Latin roots.

So because "sotil" was derived from the Latin "subtilis," these fussy academics insisted on re-inserting a "b" in "sotil," rendering it as "subtle." Picture them trying to cram a fat book back into an already overstuffed bookshelf.

The silent "b" in several other English words reflects this same process. "Debt" and "doubt," for instance, were originally "dette" and "doute" in English. But because they derived from the Latin "debitum" and "dubitare," respectively, the Latin "b" was jammed back into them to create their modern spellings.

Likewise, "plumb" (exactly vertical, true) was originally "plum," but its "b" was restored because it derived from the Latin "plumbum," meaning "lead" (the metal).

Oddly enough, other words containing the silent "b" never lost their "b" when moving from Latin to French to English. "Bomb" changed from "bombus" to "bombe" to "bomb," while "tomb" transmuted from "tumba" to "tumbe" to "tomb." And "dumb" derives, not from Latin, but from the Old High German "tumb."

Why did some words lose their silent "b" while other words did not? On this question, history will always silent be.

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254