[adj., n. suh-bawr-dn-it; v. suh-bawr-dn-eyt] 
adjective, noun, verb, -nat⋅ed, -nat⋅ing.| 1. | placed in or belonging to a lower order or rank. |
| 2. | of less importance; secondary. |
| 3. | subject to or under the authority of a superior. |
| 4. | subservient or inferior. |
| 5. | subject; dependent. |
| 6. | Grammar.
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| 7. | Obsolete. submissive. |
| 8. | a subordinate person or thing. |
| 9. | to place in a lower order or rank. |
| 10. | to make secondary (usually fol. by to): to subordinate work to pleasure. |
| 11. | to make subject, subservient, or dependent (usually fol. by to): to subordinate passion to reason. |
[suh-bawr-dn-uh-see] , noun [suh-bawr-dn-ey-tiv, -bawr-dn-uh-] , adjective | sub·or·di·nate (sə-bôr'dn-ĭt) adj.
tr.v. (sə-bôr'dn-āt') sub·or·di·nat·ed, sub·or·di·nat·ing, sub·or·di·nates
[Middle English subordinat, from Medieval Latin subōrdinātus, past participle of subōrdināre, to put in a lower rank : Latin sub-, sub- + Latin ōrdināre, to set in order (from ōrdō, ōrdin-, order; see ar- in Indo-European roots).] sub·or'di·nate·ly adv., sub·or'di·nate·ness, sub·or'di·na'tion (-nā'shən) n., sub·or'di·na'tive (-nə'tĭv) adj. |
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.)
