subunit

noun

sub·​unit ˈsəb-ˌyü-nət 

variants or less commonly sub-unit

plural subunits also sub-units

: a unit that is part of a larger unit : a subdivision of a unit

In the U.S. Army's case … the smallest subunit is the squad (nine to twelve individuals under a sergeant).

—Norman Friedman

Because of a quirk in the replicative machinery, when a strand of DNA is duplicated during mitosis, a few subunits at one end are always lost.

—John Rennie

Examples of subunit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That's the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which is another subunit of the Treasury Department, distinct from the IRS. —Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

Notably, the genetic sequence of a key component of the virus — the hemagglutinin subunit — was an exact match to the hemagglutinin sequences from two earlier human cases tied to the dairy outbreak, officials said. —Andrew Joseph, STAT, 16 July 2024

Microbes in the rumen break large molecules — especially cellulose — into smaller subunits. —Bob Holmes, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2024

Enlarge / Microbes in the rumen break large molecules—especially cellulose—into smaller subunits. —Bob Holmes, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

subunit

noun

sub·​unit

ˈsəb-ˌyü-nət

: a unit that forms an individually distinct part of a more comprehensive unit

Medical Definition

subunit

noun

sub·​unit ˈsəb-ˌyü-nət 

: a unit that forms a discrete part of a more comprehensive unit

subunits of a protein