subclass

[ suhb-klas, -klahs ]

noun

1. a primary division of a class.
2. a subordinate class, especially one of persons who lack the rights and privileges of the primary class:

   a subclass of migrant workers.

3. Biology. a category of related orders within a class.

verb (used with object)

1. to place in a subclass.

subclass

/ ˈsʌbˌklɑːs /

noun

1. a principal subdivision of a class
2. biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a class
3. maths another name for subset

verb

1. tr to assign to a subclass

subclass

/ sŭb′klăs′ /

1. A taxonomic category of related organisms ranking below a class and containing one or more orders.

Word History and Origins

Origin of subclass¹

First recorded in 1810–20; sub- + class

Example Sentences

Vance, 39, married a decade ago and isn't an incel, which is internet slang for a subclass of misogynists who identify as "involuntarily celibate."

From Salon

The results, published in Cell Reports Medicine on Feb. 23, suggested that this "gene signature" could be used to identify a subclass of lung tumors that is more likely to be eradicated by immunotherapies.

From Science Daily

The transcriptomic information included in the atlas is hierarchically organized, detailing cell classes, subclasses, and thousands of individual cell clusters within the brain.

From Science Daily

The lawsuit covers U.S. purchasers of HP all-in-one printers, and California and Minnesota subclasses.

From Reuters

Obviously, then, we will find ourselves not in a “typical” lifeless universe, but in a “special” member of the multiverse—one belonging to that subclass of universes that allow life to emerge and evolve.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• line
• place
• position