I. Adv., below, beneath, underneath: navem in fugam transdunt subter saxa, Att. ap. Non. 155, 8 (Trag. Rel. v. 630 Rib.): “terram fac ut esse rearis Subter item, ut supera,” Lucr. 6, 537: “partim quod supter per terras diditur omnis,” id. 5, 268: “aliam naturam supter habere,” id. 5, 536: “omnia haec, quae supra et subter, unum esse,” Cic. de Or. 3, 5, 20; “id. poët. N. D. 2, 42, 106: anulus subter adhaerens,” Lucr. 6, 914: “oculum subter premere,” id. 4, 447: “subter mediam fere regionem sol obtinet,” Cic. Rep. 6, 17, 17.—Comp.: “subterius (opp. superius),” Isid. 16, 8, 4.—
II. Prep. with acc. and abl., below, beneath, underneath, under (rare but class.).
(α).
With acc.: “cupiditatem subter praecordia locavit,” Cic. Tusc. 1, 10, 20; cf. id. ib. 5, 1, 4: “subter pineta,” Prop. 2, 34 (3, 32), 67: “subter fastigia tecti,” Verg. A. 8, 366: “agere vias subter mare,” id. ib. 3, 695: “subter imas cavernas,” Ov. M. 5, 502: “manu subter togam exserta,” Liv. 8, 9: “super subterque terram pugnare,” id. 39, 4: subter murum hostium ad cohortes advehitur, underneath, i. e. close to the walls, id. 34, 20: “latitudo Italiae subter radices (Alpium),” Plin. 3, 19, 23, § 132; Stat. Th. 12, 711; Petr. 98.—
III. In composition, subter, like sub, denotes underneath, beneath: subteractus, subterfluo, etc.; and also, transf., secretly, privately, clandestinely: subterduco, subterfugio. It is sometimes doubtful whether subter forms a compound with a verb, or is an adverb qualifying it.