(subsidiaries)
1.
A ~ or a ~ company is a company which is part of a larger and more important company. (BUSINESS)
...British Asia Airways, a ~ of British Airways.
N-COUNT: oft N of n, N n
2.
If something is ~, it is less important than something else with which it is connected.
The economics ministry has increasingly played a ~ role to the finance ministry.
= secondary
ADJ