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subaltern definition

sub·al·tern (səb ôl′tərn; chiefly Brit sub′əl tərn)

adjective

  1. subordinate; of lower rank
  2. Brit. holding an army commission below that of captain
  3. in traditional logic, particular, with reference to a universal proposition of which it is part

Etymology: Fr subalterne < LL subalternus < L sub-, sub- + alternus, alternate

noun

  1. a subordinate
  2. Brit. a subaltern officer
  3. a subaltern proposition in logic

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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