1. The act or an instance of moving something (such as a right or claim) to a lower rank, class, or position (subordination of a first lien to a second lien). [Cases: Secured Transactions 147. C.J.S. Secured Transactions § 108.]
2. Parliamentary law. The status and relation of a lower-ranking governing document to a higher-ranking one. • A higher-ranking document supersedes and controls a subordinate document if there is any inconsistency between them. See governing document under DOCUMENT. — subordinate, adj.
