subordinate

  • (noun): One who is subordinate.
  • (verb): To make subservient.
  • (verb): To treat as of less value or importance.
  • (verb): To make of lower priority in order of payment in bankruptcy.
  • (adjective): Placed in a lower class, rank, or position.
  • (adjective): Submissive or inferior to, or controlled by authority.
  • (adjective): (grammar, of a clause) dependent on and either modifying or complementing the main clause
  • (adjective): Descending in a regular series.
  • In the sentence “The barbecue finished before John arrived”, the subordinate clause “before John arrived” specifies the time of the main clause, “The barbecue finished”.