Origin: Latin suffix -ate
Subordinate has 10 different meanings across 3 categories:
an assistant subject to the authority or control of another
"The new subordinate reported directly to the manager every morning."
a word that is more specific than a given word
"In the search engine's autocomplete feature, typing "cars" suggests "subordinate" as a more specific term like "sedans" or "SUVs.""
One who is subordinate.
"The junior manager felt undervalued when her suggestions were ignored by every senior executive in the room."
rank or order as less important or consider of less value
"Art is sometimes subordinated to Science in these schools"
make subordinate, dependent, or subservient
"Our wishes have to be subordinated to that of our ruler"
To make subservient.
"The new manager tried to subordinate all junior staff by micromanaging every minor task they completed."
lower in rank or importance
"Even though Sarah is a brilliant designer, she remains subordinate to her manager and must follow his decisions on major projects."
(of a clause) unable to stand alone syntactically as a complete sentence
"a subordinate (or dependent) clause functions as a noun or adjective or adverb within a sentence"
Placed in a lower class, rank, or position.
"The new manager immediately established that all her decisions were final and that everyone else was merely subordinate to her authority."