subsidiary definition | Dictionary.com

sub⋅sid⋅i⋅ar⋅y

[suh

b-sid-ee-er-ee]

adjective, noun, plural -ar⋅ies.

–adjective

1.	serving to assist or supplement; auxiliary; supplementary.

2.	subordinate or secondary: subsidiary issues.

3.	of or pertaining to a subsidiary.

–noun

4.	a subsidiary thing or person.

5.	subsidiary company.

6.	Music. a subordinate theme or subject.

Origin:
1535–45; < L subsidiārius, equiv. to subsidi(um) (see subsidy ) + -ārius -ary

Related forms:

sub⋅sid⋅i⋅ar⋅i⋅ly [suh

b-sid-ee-air-uh-lee, -sid-ee-er-]

, adverb

sub⋅sid⋅i⋅ar⋅i⋅ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To subsidiary

sub·sid·i·ar·y (səb-sĭd'ē-ěr'ē)

adj.

Serving to assist or supplement; auxiliary.
Secondary in importance; subordinate.
Of, relating to, or of the nature of a subsidy.

n. pl. sub·sid·i·ar·ies

One that is subsidiary to another.
A subsidiary company.
Music A theme subordinate to a main theme or subject.

[Latin subsidiārius, from subsidium, support; see subsidy.]
sub·sid'i·ar'i·ly (-âr'ə-lē) adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Subsidiary

Sub*sid"i*a*ry\, a. [L. subsidiarius: cf. F. subsidiaire. See Subsidy.]

1. Furnishing aid; assisting; auxiliary; helping; tributary; especially, aiding in an inferior position or capacity; as, a subsidiary stream.

Chief ruler and principal head everywhere, not suffragant and subsidiary. --Florio.

They constituted a useful subsidiary testimony of another state of existence. --Coleridge.

2. Of or pertaining to a subsidy; constituting a subsidy; being a part of, or of the nature of, a subsidy; as, subsidiary payments to an ally.

George the Second relied on his subsidiary treaties. --Ld. Mahon.

Subsidiary

Sub*sid"i*a*ry\, n.; pl. Subsidiaries. One who, or that which, contributes aid or additional supplies; an assistant; an auxiliary. --Hammond.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : subsidiary

Spanish: secundario; adicional,

German: Tochter-…,

Japanese: 補助の

More Translations »

subsidiary

1543, from M.Fr. subsidiaire, from L. subsidiarius "serving to assist or supplement," from subsidium "help, aid" (see subsidy).

Subsidiary

A company whose voting stock is more than 50% controlled by another company, usually referred to as the parent company.

Investopedia Commentary

As long as the parent company has more than 50% of the voting stock in the subsidiary, it has control.

In the case of a foreign subsidiary, the company the subsidiary is incorporated under must adhere to the laws of the country in which it operates, although the parent company still carries the foreign subsidiaries financials on their books (consolidated financial statements).

subsidiary

A company controlled or owned by another company. For example, the trucking company Overnite Transportation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation. If a subsidiary is wholly owned, all its stock is held by the parent company. Compare holding company, parent company.

Main Entry: sub·sid·i·ary
Pronunciation: s&b-'si-dE-"er-E, -'si-d&-rE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ar·ies
: a company having the majority of its stock owned by another company —compare AFFILIATE
NOTE: The parent company of a subsidiary generally has the same policy-making powers as any majority owner and can do such things as appoint directors and hire officers. The subsidiary is controlled by the parent through these powers, and the parent may be held liable for the acts of the subsidiary if the subsidiary is found to be an instrumentality of the parent. —subsidiary adjective

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