English
subaltern
Subaltern comes from Late Latin subalternus, from Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *upó.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*upó‘up; from below’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*supo‘under’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsub‘under, beneath, below’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEsubalternus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600subalterne
- Englishearliest quotation 1891subaltern
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*upó‘up; from below’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*supo‘under’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsub‘under, beneath, below’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEsubalternus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600subalterne
- Englishearliest quotation 1891subaltern
Earliest quotation: 1891, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray: “She was an extraordinarily beautiful girl, Margaret Devereux ;…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up’
up, above, upper, sum, upward, oft, hypo, 9 more
through Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’
Today it means
adj Of a lower rank or position; inferior or secondary; especially (military) ranking as a junior officer, below the rank of captain.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *upó / subaltern