-s ə nt adjective
Etymology: Latin subjacent-, subjacens, present participle of subjacēre to lie under, from sub- + jacēre to lie — more at adjacent
: lying under or below: as
a. : lower than though not directly below
hills and subjacent valleys
b. : occurring below the surface
a subjacent fire
c. : antecedent and in some degree causative : underlying
can infer a set of subjacent causal events, when only the effects are available for direct scrutiny — A.C.Danto
subjacent factors in a crime
• sub·ja·cent·ly adverb