DEFINITIONS

subalternate

[ suhb-awl-ter-nit, -al- ]
/ sʌbˈɔl tər nɪt, -ˈæl- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR subalternate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

subordinate.
Botany. placed singly along an axis, but tending to become grouped oppositely.

Words related to subalternate

collateral, lower, sub, auxiliary, tributary, dependent, secondary, inferior, satellite, junior, low, subsidiary, accessory, subaltern, minor, subject, subnormal, adjuvant, ancillary, insignificant

Words nearby subalternate

subagent, subah, subalimentation, subalpine, subaltern, subalternate, subantarctic, subaortic stenosis, subapical, subapostolic, subaqua

Origin of subalternate

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin subalternātus (past participle of subalternāre to subordinate), equivalent to subaltern(us) subaltern + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM subalternate

sub·al·ter·na·tion [suhb-awl-ter-ney-shuh n, -al-] /sʌbˌɔl tərˈneɪ ʃən, -ˌæl-/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for subalternate

subalternate
/ (sʌbˈɔːltənɪt) /

adjective

(of leaves) having an arrangement intermediate between alternate and opposite
following in turn
of lesser quality or status

Derived forms of subalternate

subalternation (sʌbˌɔːltəˈneɪʃən), noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012