substate

noun

sub·​state ˈsəb-ˌstāt 

variants or sub-state

plural substates or sub-states

: a state (such as a physical or atomic state) that is a variant or division of another more broadly defined state

… each quantum state of a given spin angular momentum is split into a number of substates …

—Arthur L. Robinson

Examples of substate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After decades of focusing on minor powers and substate actors, the United States must prepare for a new era of great-power competition with China and, to a lesser extent, with Russia. —Andrew F. Krepinevich, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above