n. A prefix of Latin origin, meaning ‘under, below, beneath,’ or ‘from under.’ n. A subaltern; a subordinate.n. A substitute; specifically, one who is willing to serve as a substitute for a regular compositor on a newspaper.To act as a substitute; specifically, to act as the substitute of another in a composing-room.To subirrigate. See subbing, 2.An abbreviation of subjectof substituteof suburbof suburban.