subjacent

[ suhb-jey-suh nt ]

/ sʌbˈdʒeɪ sənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR subjacent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

situated or occurring underneath or below; underlying.

forming a basis.

lower than but not directly under something.

RELATED WORDS

lower, underlying

Nearby words

Origin of subjacent

1590–1600; < Latin subjacent- (stem of subjacēns), present participle of subjacēre to underlie, equivalent to sub- sub- + jac(ēre) to lie + -ent- -ent

Related formssub·ja·cen·cy, nounsub·ja·cent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subjacent

The pavement, badly sustained by the subjacent sand, had given way and had produced a stoppage of the water.
Les Misrables|Victor Hugo
Hips and ribs felt throughout the night the pressure of the subjacent rock.
Hours of Exercise in the Alps|John Tyndall
The heat given out melts the subjacent tallow, and expands whatever it warms.
Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative, Vol. I|Herbert Spencer
In this case the crowning mass is entirely different, and perfectly distinct from the subjacent materials.
The Mosaic History of the Creation of the World|Thomas Wood

Now with a churn-staff, beat it till the thick substance just mentioned, be intimately blended with the subjacent fluid.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for subjacent

subjacent

/ (sʌbˈdʒeɪsənt) /

adjective

forming a foundation; underlying

lower than though not directly belowtall peaks and their subjacent valley

Derived Formssubjacency, nounsubjacently, adverb

Word Origin for subjacent

C16: from Latin subjacēre to lie close, adjoin, be under, from sub- + jacēre to lie

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

Word Origin and History for subjacent

subjacent

adj.

1590s, from Latin subiacentem (nominative subiacens), present participle of subiacere "to lie underneath" (see subject (n.)).

Medicine definitions for subjacent

subjacent

[ sŭb-jā′sənt ]

adj.

Below or beneath another part.

Related formssub•ja′cen•cy n.