subadultadj.n.
/ˌsʌbəˈdʌlt/, /ˌsʌˈbadʌlt/, U.S. /ˌsəbəˈdəlt/, /ˌsəˈbæˌdəlt/ Zoology.
A. adj.
Not fully adult.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > family unit > [adjective] > young
new-fallena1618
yeanling1658
squab1706
subadult1844
weaner1865
1844 Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 13 35 The Muscipeta indica and castanea of authors is the subadult male M. paradisi.
1885 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 176 155 The outer view of the ear-drum..shows a condition quite comparable to what is found in subadult and adult Marsupials.
1903 Nature 3 Dec. 112/1 A subadult Australian barn-owl in which large bunches of the nestling down are retained on the legs.
1976 Sci. Amer. Apr. 118/3 Subadult crocodiles often form a semi-circle where a channel enters a pan.
2007 Bismarck (N. Dakota) Tribune (Nexis) 7 Nov. b1 The fourth mountain lion killed in the Badlands this season was a healthy subadult female.
B. n.
A subadult individual.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > family unit > [noun] > young animal
younglinga1300
fawn1481
little one1509
rascal1530
littling1721
youngster1776
younglet1850
younker1868
subadult1885
joey1887
trot1895
toto1914
tyke1979
1885 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 176 148 The superficial parts of the skull have been worked out and figured in this stage.., as in the second.., and in the sub-adult.
1946 Nature 28 Dec. 927/1 The author distinguishes between juvenile, young, sub-adult and adult, in that order of ascending age [of mammals].
1975 Sci. Amer. May 56/3 Lions are termed cubs until they are two years old and subadults between the ages of two and four.
2005 D. Ratcliffe Lapland vi. 166 One possibility is that these red-legged birds are subadults.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1844