subaltern
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subaltern
- /ˈsʌb.əltən/ UK
- /sʌbˈɔltəɹn/ US
- /ˈsʌbəltəɹn/ US
Rhymes with -ʌbəltə(ɹ)n, -ɔltə(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
From Middle French subalterne, from Late Latin subalternus, from Latin sub- + alternus, from alter.
adjective more subaltern · most subaltern
-
Of a lower rank or position; inferior or secondary; especially (military) ranking as a junior officer, below the rank of captain.
a subaltern officer
Similar: subordinate
- Asserting only a part of what is asserted in a related proposition.
noun subalterns
- A subordinate.
- A commissioned officer having a rank below that of captain; a lieutenant or second lieutenant. She was an extraordinarily beautiful girl, Margaret Devereux ; and made all the men frantic by running away with a penniless young fellow ; a mere nobody sir a subaltern in a foot regiment, or something of that kind.
-
A subaltern proposition; a proposition implied by a universal proposition.
Opposite: superaltern
- A member of a group that is socially, politically and geographically outside of the hegemonic power structure of the colony and of the colonial homeland. Young refers sardonically to the existence of reams of postcolonial "theory", and promises to give us "postcolonialism from below, which is what and where it should rightly be, given that it elaborates a politics of ‘the subaltern’, that is, subordinated classes and peoples".
Translations
Every language
adj of a lower rank of position
| Español | subalterno |
|---|---|
| Français | subalterne |
| Deutsch | Subaltern, Subalternoffizier |
| Русский | ста́рший лейтена́нт stáršij lejtenánt |
noun subordinate
| Español | subalterno |
|---|
Talk about this word "subaltern." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/subaltern. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. subaltern. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/subaltern "subaltern." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/subaltern.Cite this
@misc{subaltern_2026,
title = {subaltern},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/subaltern},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
