/
ˈsʌb(ə)lt(ə)n/
n.
an officer in the British army below the rank of captain, especially a second lieutenant.
adj.
- of lower status.
- Logic, dated (of a proposition) implied by another proposition but not implying it in return.
Etymology
C16 (as adj.): from late L. subalternus, from L. sub- ‘next below’ + alternus ‘every other’.
