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subscript

subscript

1 6.8
A small sign written below and to the right of a letter or number to show how many
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌbˌskrɪpt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : subíndice
  • The angle brackets and subscript denote an average over all trajectories with positive work delivered to the vessel.
  • subscript denotes
  • same subscript

Even a negative answer that life never evolved on early Mars despite it being habitable would constrain our our fraction for F subscript L in the Drake equation.

Examples

  • Finally, time subscripts are also suppressed to consider a static macroeconomic model.

    Academic text (2017)
  • What we're going to use is what we call the subscript notation.

  • This is all in the subscript here, right?

  • It's going to actually follow this subscript to go and set the value.

  • And you notice basically it's the subscript here plus one, the subscript plus one, the subscript plus one.

  • The subscripts i = 1, 2, 3, and 4 for electricity, natural gas, oil, and coal.

    Academic text (1992)
  • where the subscript 0 refers to the reference model, and the subscripts 1 and 2 refer to the model variations.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The subscript t affixed to variables is used to designate injury tolerance levels.

    Academic text (2000)
  • For the sake of brevity, firm and quarter subscripts have been omitted.

    Academic text (2003)
  • In the chemical formula, the number 2 appears as a subscript next to O to indicate the presence of two oxygen atoms.

Synonyms

symbol
vssubscript
73 2.7

A mark, like a letter, that stands for something

is specifically placed lower and right to signal a modified meaning
inferior
vssubscript
  • Archaic
8.8

A small character printed slightly below and to the side of another character

is placed lower and to the right to show a changed or specific meaning
printed symbol
vssubscript
3.7

A mark made when writing or printing, like a letter

is a mark printed lower and right to indicate an altered meaning

Antonyms

superscript
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A small mark written above and to the right of another to show a power or footnote

Surface Forms

subscript singular
subscripts plural

Morphology

subscript = script (transparent) = sub + script

The meaning is directly composed from 'sub-' (under/below) + 'script' (written), so 'written below' is readily inferable.

Etymology

The word subscript comes from the parts sub- 'under' and script 'write', so it literally means 'written under'. A helpful image is the small number written under a letter, like the 2 in H2O, which is why a subscript shows something placed below and adding extra information.