subdominant

[ suhb-dom-uh-nuh nt ]

/ sʌbˈdɒm ə nənt /

Music. the fourth tone of a diatonic scale, next below the dominant.

less than or not quite dominant.

Origin of subdominant

First recorded in 1785–95; sub- + dominant

In the wild, killer whales vie for dominance but the subdominant animal then flees the scene and the conflict subsides.

‘Blackfish’ Director: Killer Whales Don’t Belong in Captivity |Gabriela Cowperthwaite |October 24, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The genus Mele affords an instance of a subdominant group of the first description.

An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4) |William Kirby
The cadence formed when a subdominant chord immediately precedes the final tonic chord.

The Browning Cyclopdia |Edward Berdoe
There were no fourths; the dominant and the subdominant were absent.

A Bed of Roses |W. L. George

We may take Scolia for an example of a subdominant group beginning more southward.

An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4) |William Kirby
The third movement consists of a fine Adagio in E flat, in the key of the subdominant and in three-four time.

The Pianoforte Sonata |J.S. Shedlock

subdominant

/ (sʌbˈdɒmɪnənt) music /

the fourth degree of a major or minor scale

a key or chord based on this

of or relating to the subdominant