subaltern Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a British commissioned army officer below the rank of captain
  2. adjective satellite inferior in rank or status
    petty; junior-grade; lower-ranking; lowly; secondary.
    • the junior faculty
    • a lowly corporal
    • petty officialdom
    • a subordinate functionary

WordNet

Sub*al"tern adjective
Etymology
F. subalterne, LL. subalternus, fr. L. sub under + alter the one, the other of two. See Alter.
Definitions
  1. Ranked or ranged below; subordinate; inferior; specifically (Mil.), ranking as a junior officer; being below the rank of captain; as, a subaltern officer.
  2. (Logic) Asserting only a part of what is asserted in a related proposition.
Sub*al"tern noun
Definitions
  1. A person holding a subordinate position; specifically, a commissioned military officer below the rank of captain.
  2. (Logic) A subaltern proposition. Whately.

Webster 1913