subaltern
[ suhb-awl-tern or especially for 3, 6, suhb-uh l-turn ]
/ sʌbˈɔl tərn or especially for 3, 6, ˈsʌb əlˌtɜrn /
adjective
lower in rank; subordinate: a subaltern employee.
British Military.
noting a commissioned officer below the rank of captain.
Logic.
- denoting the relation of one proposition to another when the first proposition is implied by the second but the second is not implied by the first.
- (in Aristotelian logic) denoting the relation of a particular proposition to a universal proposition having the same subject, predicate, and quality.
- of or relating to a proposition having either of these relations to another.
noun
a person who has a subordinate position.
British Military.
a commissioned officer below the rank of captain.
Logic.
a subaltern proposition.
OTHER WORDS FROM subaltern
sub·al·ter·ni·ty, nounWords nearby subaltern
subaerial,
subagent,
subah,
subalimentation,
subalpine,
subaltern,
subalternate,
subantarctic,
subaortic stenosis,
subapical,
subapostolic
Example sentences from the Web for subaltern
British Dictionary definitions for subaltern
subaltern
/ (ˈsʌbəltən) /
noun
a commissioned officer below the rank of captain in certain armies, esp the British
a person of inferior rank or position
logic
- the relation of one proposition to another when the first is implied by the second, esp the relation of a particular to a universal proposition
- (as modifier)a subaltern relation
adjective
of inferior position or rank
Word Origin for subaltern
C16: from Late Latin
subalternus, from Latin
sub- +
alternus alternate, from
alter the other