Etymograph

English

subobsolete

From sub- + obsolete.

Formed from sub- + obsolete

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

Proto-Italic *supo ‘under’

Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’

English sub-

Latin obsolēscere ‘to wear out, fall into disuse, grow old, decay’

Latin obsolētus ‘worn out, gone out of use’

English obsolete

Today it means

adj Nearly or almost obsolete (“imperfectly developed, not very distinct”).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “subobsolete”. 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 / subobsolete

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