Subheading

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A secondary title that provides a specific focus within a larger text section
2. A heading that gives context or clarifies the content of a particular part of a document
3. A title that serves to organize information hierarchically, helping to guide readers through the material

Etymology: "Subheading" is a plain compound: the prefix "sub-", from Latin "sub" meaning "under" or "below," attached to "heading." The prefix has been used in English for centuries to mark something placed beneath something else, and in "subheading" it marks a secondary title that sits under a main one. "Heading" itself goes back to the Old English "hēafod," meaning "head," the top part of the body. Over time the sense moved from the literal head of a person to the head or top of a page, and then to the title placed at the top of a section of writing. The suffix "-ing" turned the noun into a word for that title, so a heading is literally the thing at the head of a text. Put together, a subheading is the lesser title that sits beneath the heading, marking a smaller division within a larger section.

Synonyms: subtitle, heading