English

subproblem

From sub- + problem.

A compound of sub- + problem

Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up; from below’

Proto-Italic *supo ‘under’

Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’

English sub-

Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw’

…

Ancient Greek πρόβλημα ‘anything thrown forward’

Latin problēma ‘problem’

Middle French probleme

Middle English probleme ‘a conundrum’

Today it means

noun A problem whose solution contributes to the solution of a larger problem.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / subproblem