1. the state of being located underneath or below something else
Usage: formal
2. a principle in linguistics stating that certain grammatical relationships cannot span too many syntactic boundaries
Usage: linguistics; technical

Examples

• The subjacency of the basement to the main floor made it ideal for storage.
• The architect considered the subjacency of the foundation when designing the building.
• In syntax theory, subjacency constraints limit how far elements can move in a sentence.
• The linguist explained how subjacency affects question formation in different languages.
• Violations of subjacency result in ungrammatical sentences in most languages.