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.

Opposite of

superaltern#Noun

Synonyms

secondary

second lieutenant

lieutenant

junior-grade

lower-ranking

lowly

nether

petty

1st lieutenant

inferior

junior

lower

sublieutenant

first lieutenant

Translations

subalterne

subalterno

subalterno

alt

subordinado

ast

inférieur

untergeordnet

subordinat

υπολοχαγός

subaltern

ondergeschikt

Subalterne

Untergeben

Befehlsempfänger

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsʌbəltɚn/

Etymology

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