Submultiples

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Values or quantities that are fractions or divisions of a given unit, representing parts smaller than the whole; smaller subdivisions derived from a principal measure; units or measures that are obtained by dividing a standard unit into smaller portions
2. Quantities representing fractional parts of a base quantity or unit, indicating lesser amounts; subdivisions that are smaller than the fundamental unit; portions of a standard measurement split into smaller constituent parts
3. Units or figures that are derived by dividing a whole unit into smaller segments, representing lesser magnitudes; fractional parts smaller than the primary unit; components that serve as diminished divisions of a standard measure

Etymology: "Submultiples" is the plural of "submultiple," a noun for a quantity that divides another quantity exactly, a smaller fractional part. It is built from the prefix "sub-," meaning "under" or "below," joined to "multiple," the word for a quantity that contains another an exact number of times. The "sub-" half traces back through Latin "sub" to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "under," so the prefix carries the same basic sense of lower position that appears in words like "submarine" and "subordinate." Put together, the word is a logical mirror of "multiple." If 12 is a multiple of 3 because 3 fits into it four times, then 3 is a submultiple of 12, a number that goes into it evenly. The pairing makes the relationship between the two words clear: one points upward to larger quantities that a number produces, the other points downward to smaller parts that divide it.

Synonyms: divisors, factors, subdivisions, fractions, portions

Antonyms: multiples, products, wholes, totals, aggregates