subsociety

noun

sub·​so·​ci·​e·​ty ˌsəb-sə-ˈsī-ə-tē 

variants or sub-society

plural subsocieties or sub-societies

: a society that is part of a larger society

Although a part of the complex societies to which they provide goods and services, as minorities these groups constitute their own separate subsocieties.

—Lois Beck

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined above