subscript
Americanadjective
-
written below (adscript,superscript ).
noun
-
Also called subfix. any character, number, or symbol written next to and slightly below another.
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of subscript
1695–1705; < Latin subscrīptus (past participle of subscrībere to subscribe ), equivalent to sub- sub- + scrīb ( ere ) to write + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
A subscript is a character, usually a letter or number, that's printed slightly below and to the side of another character. Subscripts are commonly used in chemical formulas. A scientist would write the formula for water, H2O, so that the 2 appears lower and smaller than the letters on either side of it. That's what subscript is for, to set certain characters apart from others. It's closely related to superscript, when a letter or number is printed above another character. Subscript comes from the Latin subscribere, "write underneath."
Vocabulary lists containing subscript
Chemistry - High School
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Chemistry - Middle School
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Chemical Reactions - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The molecular formula is then obtained by multiplying each subscript in the empirical formula by n, as shown by the generic empirical formula AxBy:
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
It is important to note that a subscript following a symbol and a number in front of a symbol do not represent the same thing; for example, H2 and 2H represent distinctly different species.
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
Note that the number of atoms for a given element is calculated by multiplying the coefficient of any formula containing that element by the element’s subscript in the formula.
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
Initial position and velocity are given a subscript 0; final values have no subscript.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
Later, for no special reason, the fashion became to render the number as subscript: H2O.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
