sublethal

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *upó

Proto-Italic *supo

Latin sub

Latin sub-der.

English sub-

English lethal

English sublethal

From sub- + lethal.

Adjective

sublethal (comparative more sublethal, superlative most sublethal)

1. Less than lethal.

   a sublethal dose

   • 2015 November 24, Patrick Barkham, “Pesticide may be reason butterfly numbers are falling in UK, says study”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     A US study published earlier this year found that dust emitted when seeds treated with neonicotinoids are planted causes sub-lethal effects in caterpillars of the monarch butterfly.

Derived terms

• sublethally