Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
submontane
submucosa
submultiple
subnormal
subnotebook
suborbital
suborder
subordinary
subordinate
subordinate clause
subordinate conjunction
suborn
suboscine
suboxide
subpena
subplot
subpoena
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "subordin..." in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

subordinate

sub·or·din·ate [ sə báwrd'nət ]


adjective 
Definition:
 
1. of lesser rank: lower than somebody in rank or status

2. of less importance: secondary in importance

3. grammar modifying: acting as a modifying noun, adjective, or adverb within a sentence



noun  (plural sub·or·din·ates)
Definition:
 
somebody in junior position: somebody who is lower in rank or status than another



transitive verb  (past and past participle sub·or·din·at·ed, present participle sub·or·din·at·ing, 3rd person present singular sub·or·din·ates)
Definition:
 
1. make something secondary: to treat something as less important and allow something else to dominate or take priority
had increasingly subordinated her research to the demands of her busy work schedule

2. place somebody in lower rank: to give somebody or regard somebody as having a lower rank or status than another

[15th century. < medieval Latin subordinatus, past participle of subordinare "place below" < Latin ordinare (see ordain)]

sub·or·di·nate·ly [ sə báwd'nətlee ] adverb
sub·or·di·nate·ness [ sə báwrd'nətnəss ] noun
sub·or·di·na·tion [ sə bàwrd'n áysh'n ] noun
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
MSN Shopping
Upgrade your Encarta experience
Encarta RSS Feeds
© 2008 Microsoft