English

Noun

sub ‎(plural subs)

1. A submarine.
2. A submarine sandwich—a sandwich made on a long bun.

   We can get subs at that deli.

3. (US, informal) A substitute.

   With the score 4 to 1, they brought in subs.

   She worked as a sub until she got her teaching certificate.

4. (Britain, informal) A substitute in a football (soccer) game: someone who comes on in place of another player part way through the game.
   • 1930, Boy's Live, Philip Scruggs, There Can Be Victory, page 20

     At any other school you would be playing varsity, and Wallace has you pigeon-holed on the subs." "Maybe he has his reasons," Jim replied. "And he hasn't pigeon-holed me on the subs yet — not this season.

5. (Britain, informal, often in plural) A subscription: a payment made for membership of a club, etc.
6. (informal) A submissive in BDSM practices.
   • 2004, Paul Baker, Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang‎

     ...roleplay where a sub or bottom takes care of a top's bodily and hygiene needs...

   • 2007, Laurell K Hamilton, The Harlequin

     "It means that I'm both a sub and a dom." "Submissive and dominant," I said. He nodded.

   • 2008, Lannie Rose, How to Change Your Sex

     Typically a dom and a sub have a more or less standard routine that they like to go through all the time.

7. (Internet, informal) A subtitle.

   I've just noticed a mistake in the subs for this film.

8. (computing, programming) A subroutine (sometimes one that does not return a value, as distinguished from a function, which does).
   • 2002, Nathan Patwardhan, Ellen Siever, Stephen Spainhour, Perl in a nutshell

     The default accessor can be overridden by declaring a sub of the same name in the package.

   • 2004, P. K. McBride, Introductory Visual Basic.NET (page 49)

     So far, all the subs and functions that we have used have been those built into the system, or those written to handle events from controls...

9. (colloquial) A subeditor.
10. (colloquial, dated) A subordinate.
11. (colloquial, dated) A subaltern.
    • J. Milton Hayes, The Green Eye of the Yellow God

      He was known as 'Mad Carew' by the subs at Khatmandu,
      He was hotter than they felt inclined to tell;
      But for all his foolish pranks, he was worshipped in the ranks,
      And the Colonel's daughter smiled on him as well.

Synonyms

• (submarine sandwich): submarine, submarine sandwich; grinder, hero, hero sandwich, hoagie, po' boy, spuckie, torpedo, wedge

Hypernyms

• (submarine sandwich): sandwich

Translations

Verb

sub ‎(third-person singular simple present subs, present participle subbing, simple past and past participle subbed)

1. (US, informal) To substitute for.
2. (US, informal) To work as a substitute teacher, especially in primary and secondary education.
3. (Britain, informal, soccer) To replace (a player) with a substitute.

   He never really made a contribution to the match, so it was no surprise when he was subbed at half time.

4. (Britain, informal, soccer) Less commonly, and often as sub on, to bring on (a player) as a substitute.

   He was subbed on half way through the second half, and scored within minutes.

5. (Britain) To perform the work of a subeditor or copy editor; to subedit.
6. (Britain, slang, transitive) To lend.
   • 2011, Rowland Rivron, What the F*** Did I Do Last Night?

     I kept up the pleasantries as we were drying our hands and, realizing I didn't have any change for the lodger, I asked him, one drummer to another like, if he could sub me a quid for the dish.

7. (slang, intransitive) To subscribe.
8. (BDSM) To take a submissive role.
   • Alicia White, Jessica's Breakdown (page 53)

     You've never subbed before. Jessica will be expecting a man on stage that follows orders and enjoys what she's going to be doing. Do you want to be spanked? Possibly whipped?

   • 2012, Tiffany Reisz, Little Red Riding Crop

     Wasn't like she'd never subbed before. She'd been a sub longer than she'd been a Dominatrix–ten years she'd spent in a collar.

Etymology 2

From Latin sub.

Preposition

sub

1. Under.

Verb

sub ‎(third-person singular simple present subs, present participle subbing, simple past and past participle subbed)

1. To coat with a layer of adhering material; to planarize by means of such a coating.
2. (microscopy) To prepare (a slide) with an layer of transparent substance to support and/or fix the sample.
   • 1997, Marina A. Lynch, S. M. O'Mara (editors), Ali D. Hames, D. Rickwood (series editors), Neuroscience Labfax, page 166,

     Ensure that gloves are worn when handling subbed slides. Although the following protocol describes subbing with gelatin, slides may also be coated with either 3-(triethoxysilyl-)propylamine (TESPA) or poly-L-lysine for in situ hybridization.

See also

• switch (one who is willing to take either a sadistic or a masochistic role)

Anagrams

• bus, bus.
• UBS
• USB

Esperanto

Etymology

From Latin sub.

Preposition

sub

1. under, below

Antonyms

• super

Ido

Preposition

sub

1. under, below

Italian

Noun

sub m, f ‎(invariable)

1. skin-diver, scuba diver
2. bottom, submissive (BDSM partner)

Synonyms

• (scuba diver): subacqueo

See also

• dom

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *supo, from Proto-Indo-European *upo.

Preposition

sub

1. (with ablative) under, beneath
2. (with ablative) behind
3. (with ablative) at the feet of
4. (with ablative) within, during
5. (with ablative) about, around (time)
6. (with accusative) under, up to, up under, close to (of a motion)
7. (with accusative) until, before, up to, about

Derived terms

• sub rosa
• subter
• subtus
• supīnus

Descendants

References

• sub in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• sub in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• SUB in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “sub”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • at the foot of the mountain: sub radicibus montis, in infimo monte, sub monte
    
  • in the open air: sub divo
    
  • to come within the sphere of the senses: sub sensum or sub oculos, sub aspectum cadere
    
  • to come within the sphere of the senses: sensibus or sub sensus subiectum esse
    
  • to have to submit to the uncertainties of fortune; to be subject to Fortune's caprice: sub varios incertosque casus subiectum esse
    
  • to be comprised under the term 'fear.: sub metum subiectum esse
    
  • to represent a thing vividly: oculis or sub oculos, sub aspectum subicere aliquid
    
  • graphic depiction: rerum sub aspectum paene subiectio (De Or. 3. 53. 202)
    
  • to give a general idea of a thing: sub unum aspectum subicere aliquid
    
  • to sell a prisoner of war as a slave: aliquem sub corona vendere (B. G. 3. 16)
    
  • the case is still undecided: adhuc sub iudice lis est (Hor. A. P. 77)
    
  • to occupy the foot of a hill: considere sub monte (sub montis radicibus)
    
  • the free men are sold as slaves: libera corpora sub corona (hasta) veneunt (B. G. 3. 16. 4)
    
  • to be subject to some one, under some one's dominion: sub imperio et dicione alicuius esse
    

Lojban

Rafsi

sub

1. rafsi of sfubu.

Novial

Preposition

sub

1. under

Romanian

Alternative forms

• (popular) subt, supt

Etymology

From Latin subtus, from sub.

Preposition

sub ‎(+accusative)

1. under, below, beneath, underneath

Derived terms

• dedesubt

Swedish

Noun

sub c

1. (slang) a subwoofer, a bass loudspeaker; Contraction of subwoofer.

Declension

See also

• subba
• subbe