subcritical

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adjective

Of less than critical importance

“a subcritical reactor”

OriginEnglish critical ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← Latin criticus →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

adjectivesubcritical (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf less than critical importance
  2. not comparableHaving a numerical value less than some critical value
  3. not comparablenatural sciencesHaving insufficient mass to sustain a chain reaction

    a subcritical reactor

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  2. Proto-Italic*supo
  3. Latinsub
  4. Latinsub-
  5. Englishsub-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*krey-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*krinyéti
  8. Proto-Hellenic*kríňňō
  9. Ancient Greekκρῑ́νω (krī́nō)
  10. Ancient Greekκρῐ- (krĭ-)
  11. Ancient Greekκρῐτής (krĭtḗs)
  12. Ancient Greekκριτικός (kritikós)
  13. Latincriticus
  14. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  15. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  16. Englishcritical
  17. Englishsubcritical

From sub- + critical.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish ei kriittinen, alikriittinen
  • ei kriittinenof less than critical importance
  • alikriittinenhaving insufficient mass
Russian докритический
  • докритический (dokritičeskij)having insufficient mass
Cite this entry
APA

subcritical. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subcritical

MLA

“subcritical.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subcritical. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subcritical,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subcritical.

Source: subcritical on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.