subordinate

From Middle English subordinat, from Medieval Latin subōrdinātus, past participle of subōrdināre, from sub- + ōrdināre (“to order”).

Adjective and Noun

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sə-bôʹdĭ-nət, IPA^(key): /səˈbɔːdɪnət/
• (General American, Canada) enPR: sə-bôrʹdĭ-nət, IPA^(key): /səˈbɔɹdɪnət/
• (Australia) IPA^(key): /səˈboːdɪnət/

Verb

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sə-bôʹdĭ-nāt, IPA^(key): /səˈbɔːdɪneɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American, Canada) enPR: sə-bôrʹdĭ-nāt, IPA^(key): /səˈbɔɹdɪneɪt/

  • Audio (Southern California):

    (file)

• (Australia) IPA^(key): /səˈboːdɪnæɪt/

subordinate (comparative more subordinate, superlative most subordinate)

1. Placed in a lower class, rank, or position.

   Synonyms: lesser, subaltern, petty

   Antonyms: superior, superordinate

   • 1695, John Woodward, “(please specify the page)”, in An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth: And Terrestrial Bodies, Especially Minerals: […], London: […] Ric[hard] Wilkin […], →OCLC:

     The several kinds […] and subordinate species of each are easily known.

2. Submissive or inferior to, or controlled by authority.

   Antonym: insubordinate

   • November 9, 1662, Robert South, Of the Creation of Man in the Image of God

     It was subordinate, not enslaved, to the understanding.

   • 1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume III: The Breakdown, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozkład (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 245:

     However, his main point is clearly that the political organization should be subordinate to the real aspirations of the working class and should not be allowed to claim that it expresses those aspirations by virtue of its own 'scientific' omniscience, regardless of what the empirical 'masses' actually think.

3. (grammar, of a clause, not comparable) dependent on and either modifying or complementing the main clause

   Synonym: dependent

   Antonyms: independent, main

   In the sentence “The barbecue finished before John arrived”, the subordinate clause “before John arrived” specifies the time of the main clause, “The barbecue finished”.

4. Descending in a regular series.

subordinate (plural subordinates)

2. (countable) One who is subordinate.

   Synonyms: inferior, junior, report, subaltern, underling, understrapper

   Antonyms: boss, commander, leader, manager, superior, superordinate, supervisor

3. A hyponym.

   Antonyms: hypernym, hyperonym, superordinate

subordinate (third-person singular simple present subordinates, present participle subordinating, simple past and past participle subordinated)

1. (transitive) To make subservient or secondary.
   1. (transitive, grammar) To embed (a clause) into another clause that is the main one.

      Hypernym: complementize

      Coordinate term: coordinate

   2. (transitive, finance) To make of lower priority in order of payment in bankruptcy.
2. (transitive) To treat (someone) as of less value or importance.

   Synonyms: belittle, denigrate

• inferior

• turbinadoes

subordinate

1. feminine plural of subordinato

subordinate f pl

1. feminine plural of subordinato

subordinate

1. inflection of subordinare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [sʊ.boːr.dɪˈnaː.tɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [su.bor.diˈnaː.te]

subōrdināte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of subōrdinō

subordinate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of subordinar combined with te