Link Centre Dictionary

subaltern

su·bal·tern

UK/ˈsʌb.əltən/ US/sʌbˈɔltəɹn/ uncommon uk

noun

adjective

1.

inferior in rank or status

  • “the junior faculty”
  • “a lowly corporal”
  • “petty officialdom”
  • “a subordinate functionary”

Origin

From Middle French subalterne, from Late Latin subalternus, from Latin sub- + alternus, from alter.

Phrases

  • subaltern studies

Related words

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.