antisubmarine

1 6.6

To find, attack or defend against enemy submarines

adjective
/ˌæntiˈsʌbməˌrin/

Specialized

: antisubmarino

antisubmarine warfare

Examples

In a related way, North Korea's military provocations last year led to a series of U.S.-South Korean military exercises, including antisubmarine warfare training, and a tightening of security consultations among Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington.

Academic text (2011)
The latest naval ships are equipped with advanced antisubmarine technology to protect against underwater threats.
Our team participated in antisubmarine exercises designed to enhance our skills in identifying enemy submarines.
The military focused on developing antisubmarine strategies to maintain control of the coastal waters.

Surface Forms

antisubmarine positive

Morphology

antisubmarine = submarine (transparent) = anti + submarine

The adjective is formed straightforwardly from 'anti-' plus 'submarine', meaning against submarines.

Etymology

Antisubmarine is made of anti- ('against') and submarine, where sub- means 'under' like in subway and marine means 'sea'. So, antisubmarine literally means 'against underwater ships', which is why it describes tools or actions used to find, attack, or defend against enemy submarines.