subordination
subordination Lexical Profile
subordination Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The act of placing someone or something in a lower rank or position of less importance, or the state of being subject to the authority or control of another.
"The historical treatise examined the economic subordination of tenant farmers to wealthy landowners."
In grammar, the syntactic process of linking two clauses in a sentence so that one clause is dependent on and modifies the main clause.
"Skillful writers use subordination to combine related ideas and show clear cause-and-effect relationships within complex sentences."
In finance and real estate law, the process or agreement by which a creditor's claim or mortgage is ranked below another debt in priority for repayment.
"The lender required a subordination agreement before approving the refinancing of the commercial property."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'subordination' (placing in a lower rank or state of obedience) with 'subornation' (the legal offense of inducing someone to commit perjury or another unlawful act) or 'insubordination' (defiance of authority).
• Rhymes for subordination
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin 'subordinationem', a noun of action from the past participle stem of 'subordinare' ('to place in a lower order'), from Latin 'sub-' ('under') and 'ordinare' ('to arrange, set in order').