English
subordinate
Subordinate comes from Medieval Latin subōrdinātus ‘subject to order, subordinated, placed into…’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂er-‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ordōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrdō‘order’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500ordinōas ōrdināre‘to order’next step skipped: Medieval Latin subōrdinō
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500subōrdinātus‘subject to order, subordinated, placed into descending order of value etc’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500subordinat
- Englishearliest quotation 1695subordinate
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂er-‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ordōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrdō‘order’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500ordinōas ōrdināre‘to order’next step skipped: Medieval Latin subōrdinō
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500subōrdinātus‘subject to order, subordinated, placed into descending order of value etc’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500subordinat
- Englishearliest quotation 1695subordinate
Earliest quotation: 1695, John Woodward, (please specify the page): “The several kinds […] and subordinate species of each…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’
reason, art, ready, article, army, artist, rate, arm, alarm, ratio, harmony, armor, arthritis, arithmetic, anarchy, harmonic, articulate, artisan, harmonious, aristocratic, armament, inertia, articulation, inert, harmonize, rta, artifice, armadillo, archon, rime, armature, harmonium, arche, 73 more
through Proto-Italic *ordō
through Latin ōrdō ‘order’
ordinary, ornament, adorn, ornate, ordo, ordain, orn, ordinal, 8 more
through Medieval Latin ordinō ‘to order’
coordination, coordinate, ordination, ordinator, inordinate, 2 more
Today it means
adj Placed in a lower class, rank, or position.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- / subordinate