subtitle

/ˌsʌbˈtaɪdl/

/ˈsʌbtaɪtəl/

Other forms: subtitles; subtitled; subtitling

A subtitle can either be the second, explanatory, part of a longer title, or the words that appear at the bottom of a movie screen to translate dialogue that's spoken in a foreign language.

If you've got hearing loss, you might watch TV with the subtitles on, so that you can read the dialogue as it's spoken. And when a foreign film is shown in the U.S., it usually has English subtitles. The subtitle of a book, on the other hand, comes after (or under) its main title. You might call your memoirs "My Story," with the subtitle "An Incredible Life." The prefix sub-, fittingly, means "under."

Definitions of subtitle

1. noun

   secondary or explanatory title
   type of:

   title

   a general or descriptive heading for a section of a written work
2. noun

   translation of foreign dialogue of a movie or TV program; usually displayed at the bottom of the screen
   synonyms: caption

   type of:

   interlingual rendition, rendering, translation, version

   a written communication in a second language having the same meaning as the written communication in a first language
3. verb

   supply (a movie) with subtitles
   type of:

   furnish, provide, render, supply

   give something useful or necessary to