Also means
lower rank
Usage Note
Subordine appears almost exclusively in the fixed phrase in subordine ('as a secondary option, in the alternative'), used in legal and administrative language to present a fallback argument or request — chiede, in subordine, una riduzione della pena ('requests, in the alternative, a reduction of sentence'). Outside this set phrase, the more common noun for subordination is subordinazione. Its plural subordini is rare.
Examples
"Chiede in subordine una pena ridotta."
Natural Translation
He requests, in the alternative, a reduced sentence.
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