the seventh tone of a diatonic scale; tone next below the upper tonic
subtonic in American English
(sʌbˈtɑnɪk)
noun
the seventh tone of a scale, being the next below the upper tonic
Word origin
[1825–35; sub- + tonic]This word is first recorded in the period 1825–35. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cliché, individualism, relativity, runway, structuralsub- is a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin (subject; subtract; subvert; subsidy). On this model, sub- is freely attached to elements of any origin and used with the meaning “under,” “below,”“beneath” (subalpine; substratum), “slightly,” “imperfectly,” “nearly” (subcolumnar; subtropical), “secondary,” “subordinate” (subcommittee; subplot)