adjective Of a lower rank or position; inferior or secondary; especially ranking as a junior officer, below the rank of captain.
a subaltern officer
adjective Asserting only a part of what is asserted in a related proposition.
noun A subordinate.
noun A commissioned officer having a rank below that of captain; a lieutenant or second lieutenant.
noun A subaltern proposition; a proposition implied by a universal proposition.
noun A member of a group that is socially, politically and geographically outside of the hegemonic power structure of the colony and of the colonial homeland.