*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of sub

* Shortened form of any of various words beginning with sub-.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Abbreviation of submarine. · Clipping of submarine sandwich: a sandwich made on a long bun. · Clipping of submersible. · Clipping of substitute, often in sports or teaching.

verb

To substitute for. · To work as a substitute teacher, especially in primary and secondary education. · To replace (a player) with a substitute. · To bring on (a player) as a substitute.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* Shortened form of any of various words beginning with sub-.

This page abbreviates 20 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "sub-",
      "sub-#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of submarine.",
        "Clipping of submarine sandwich: a sandwich made on a long bun.",
        "Clipping of submersible.",
        "Clipping of substitute, often in sports or teaching."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "13898e1a15cac1dadd8d3def9912214cfff003e1b08ebe25936f22326e03fa00",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0e47a76a74dbb401b7b9330ecd4e7755b70a9b34ae8b67d503872998695a8279",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 191258
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To substitute for.",
        "To work as a substitute teacher, especially in primary and secondary education.",
        "To replace (a player) with a substitute.",
        "To bring on (a player) as a substitute."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "informal",
        "UK",
        "often",
        "uncommon"
      ],
      "recordId": "e0eedc5ff0b7146d212475efad97c86f1c551c3bec8ac5067bb877ed2baa4733",
      "rawRecordSha256": "aef86ab7e727edd3bab519c04b8114166fb75218fab2653fd35b1383381b2d30",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 191259
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 20,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To coat with a layer of adhering material; to planarize by means of such a coating. · To prepare (a slide) with a layer of transparent substance to support and/or fix the sample.

prep

Under.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin sub.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Unspecified derivation mentionsubla
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "sub"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sub"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sub",
      "sub#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To coat with a layer of adhering material; to planarize by means of such a coating.",
        "To prepare (a slide) with a layer of transparent substance to support and/or fix the sample."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "0eeb2b8e23c2b4d48f98dc742c9d437afa3215139c3e93111a40308b7a86a121",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e89c6720e983203ac338ab3209e620a079f6f79b781c4ffcdea750bbf2abd80e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 191261
    },
    {
      "pos": "prep",
      "glosses": [
        "Under."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "27e79edb912a0572b92250ab7d97a3500b6894d85a82e63371e2b38d7d9bc905",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b801fa7d16af8ef381515fbf09740a82417c7e145f93836126c95ef0a644825c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 191260
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for sub →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c3Vi