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.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
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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

Words nearby subalternate

subagent, subah, subalimentation, subalpine, subaltern, subalternate, subantarctic, subaortic stenosis, subapical, subapostolic, subaqua
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to subalternate

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

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