subaltern

Meaning

Adj

1. Of a lower rank or position; inferior or secondary; especially (military) ranking as a junior officer, below the rank of captain.
2. Asserting only a part of what is asserted in a related proposition.

Noun

1. A subordinate.
2. (British) A commissioned officer having a rank below that of captain; a lieutenant or second lieutenant.
3. A subaltern proposition; a proposition implied by a universal proposition.
4. 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.

Synonyms

secondary

second lieutenant

lieutenant

junior-grade

lower-ranking

lowly

nether

petty

1st lieutenant

inferior

junior

lower

sublieutenant

first lieutenant

Translations

subalterne

subalterno

subaltern

untergeordnet

alt

inférieur

ondergeschikt

subordinado

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsʌbəltɚn/

Etymology

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