Subnatural

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing aspects that exist in a realm below or above the ordinary world
2. Referring to characteristics that occur in a domain that is either beneath or beyond the typical experience of nature
3. Pertaining to phenomena or qualities believed to exist outside the usual laws of nature or below the natural order

Etymology: "Subnatural" is a plain compound: the prefix "sub-", meaning "under" or "below," attached to "natural." Its literal sense is therefore "beneath the natural," and the adjective describes things that belong to a realm lying under the ordinary world, or, in some uses, one reached above it. The prefix does most of the work here. "Sub-" comes from Latin "sub," "under," and has been used in English for centuries to form words like "subterranean" and "subordinate," so a reader meeting "subnatural" can usually infer the sense at once. The base word "natural" comes from Latin "naturalis," relating to nature, which in turn traces to "natura," the inherent character of a thing.