subsystem
noun
sub·sys·tem
ˈsəb-ˌsi-stəm 
variants
or less commonly sub-system
plural subsystems also sub-systems
: a system that is part of a larger system
These subsystems of the climate system include the atmosphere, the oceans (both upper and deep oceans), the sea ice, the ice sheets, the land surface, and the biota.—
Stephen H. Schneider
Stephen H. SchneiderVoyager 2 was the troublesome twin. Even before launch, failures in its onboard computer subsystems had to be rectified. The problems continued after liftoff as the attitude-control subsystem behaved in an unexpected fashion.—William I. McLaughlin
William I. McLaughlinExamples of subsystem in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This subsystem bundles the information collected by the probe before it is beamed back to the mission team.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
The space agency traced the source of the communication breakdown to one of the spacecraft’s three onboard computers, known as the flight data subsystem, which is responsible for packaging the science and engineering data before it’s beamed to Earth.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
The launch delay was primarily caused by the battery issue and the disassembly required to access and replace them amid a myriad of complex subsystems.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2024
These are compelling building blocks for subsystem suppliers but are less comprehensive than Nvidia and Qualcomm's solutions.
—Steve McDowell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Enlarge / Not now, but maybe soon? Andrew Cunningham
Microsoft opened its arms to Linux during the Windows 10 era, inventing an entire virtualized subsystem to allow users and developers to access a real-deal Linux command line without leaving the Windows environment.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2024
But the memory subsystem also gets healthy upgrades, jumping from 12GB of memory to a more future-proof 16GB and, accordingly, increasing the width of the memory bus from 192 bits to 256 bits.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2024
Although the probe can receive and carry out engineers’ commands, the FDS is currently unable to use its telemetry modulation unit (TMU) subsystem.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Dec. 2023
Given the long-standing operational pattern, the carrier’s apparent lack of endurance suggested either that the relatively small crew was struggling, subsystems were failing, or both.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
The space agency traced the source of the communication breakdown to one of the spacecraft’s three onboard computers, known as the flight data subsystem, which is responsible for packaging the science and engineering data before it’s beamed to Earth.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
The launch delay was primarily caused by the battery issue and the disassembly required to access and replace them amid a myriad of complex subsystems.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2024
These are compelling building blocks for subsystem suppliers but are less comprehensive than Nvidia and Qualcomm's solutions.
—Steve McDowell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Enlarge / Not now, but maybe soon? Andrew Cunningham
Microsoft opened its arms to Linux during the Windows 10 era, inventing an entire virtualized subsystem to allow users and developers to access a real-deal Linux command line without leaving the Windows environment.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2024
But the memory subsystem also gets healthy upgrades, jumping from 12GB of memory to a more future-proof 16GB and, accordingly, increasing the width of the memory bus from 192 bits to 256 bits.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2024
Although the probe can receive and carry out engineers’ commands, the FDS is currently unable to use its telemetry modulation unit (TMU) subsystem.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Dec. 2023
Given the long-standing operational pattern, the carrier’s apparent lack of endurance suggested either that the relatively small crew was struggling, subsystems were failing, or both.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subsystem.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Subsystem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsystem. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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