subordination

[ suh-bawr-dn-ey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for subordination on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of placing in a lower rank or position: The refusal to allow women to be educated was part of society's subordination of women to men.

  2. the act of subordinating, or of making dependent, secondary, or subservient.

  1. the condition of being subordinated, or made dependent, secondary, or subservient.

Origin of subordination

1
First recorded in 1425–75; from Late Latin subordination-, stem of subordinatio, equivalent to Medieval Latin subōrdināt(us), past participle of subōrdināre subordinate + -iō -ion
  • Sometimes sub·or·di·na·cy [suh-bawr-dn-uh-see] /səˈbɔr dn ə si/ .

Other words from subordination

  • non·sub·or·di·na·tion, noun
  • pre·sub·or·di·na·tion, noun
  • self-sub·or·di·na·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

Cultural definitions for subordination

subordination

The use of expressions that make one element of a sentence dependent on another. In the following sentence, the first (italicized) clause (also called a subordinate clause) is subordinate to the second clause: “Despite all efforts toward a peaceful settlement of the dispute, war finally broke out.” (Compare coordination, dependent clause, and independent clause.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.