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

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