subspecialty

noun

sub·​spe·​cial·​ty ˌsəb-ˈspe-shəl-tē 

variants or less commonly sub-specialty

plural subspecialties also sub-specialties

: a specialty that is part of a broader specialty

Child psychiatry is a subspecialty of general psychiatry, just as hematology is of internal medicine.

—Bruno Bettelheim and Alvin A. Rosenfeld

An entire subspecialty known as machine learning is devoted to building algorithms that allow computers to develop new behaviors based on experience.

—Adam Piore

Examples of subspecialty in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Child abuse pediatrics is a relatively new subspecialty whose practitioners work closely with police officers and social workers to investigate potential cases of intentional harm. —Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 29 Dec. 2024

Child-abuse pediatrics is a relatively new subspecialty whose practitioners work closely with police officers and social workers to investigate potential cases of intentional harm. —Kirsten Potter Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024

Additionally, the company offers other pediatric subspecialty services supporting hospitals. —Charles Rotblut, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

The split would foster subspecialty development, research, and innovation in these historically underexplored areas while giving young doctors the opportunity to specialize in one or the other. —Dr. Elizabeth Poynor, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

subspecialty

noun

sub·​spe·​cial·​ty ˌsəb-ˈspesh-əl-tē, ˈsəb-ˌ 

plural subspecialties

: a subordinate field of specialization

child psychiatry is a subspecialty of general psychiatry

—Bruno Bettelheim et al.