Etymograph

English

subchief

From sub- + chief.

Formed from sub- + chief

Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up; from below’

Proto-Italic *supo ‘under’

Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’

English sub-

Proto-Indo-European *kap-

…

Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’

Latin caput ‘head’

Old French chief

Middle English chef

English chief

Today it means

noun A lesser or secondary chief.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “subchief”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / subchief