subprime en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈsʌb.pɹaɪm/ (General-American)
- /ˈsʌb.pɹʌɪm/ (UK)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub-der. English sub- English prime English subprime From sub- + prime.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable) Less than prime; inferior.
subprime beef
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(US, not-comparable, qualifier:now worldwide) Designating a loan (typically at a greater than usual rate of interest) offered to a borrower who is not qualified for other loans (for example, because of a poor credit history).
Central to the story was Steve Eisman, an eccentric and rebarbative hedge-funder who was one of the earliest to see through the subprime lies.
2014 April 5, Alex Preston, “Flash Boys: Cracking the Money Code by Michael Lewis, review: Michael Lewis tells the compelling true story of one man’s mission to tame Wall Street [print version: Capital ventures]”, in The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 08 Apr 2014, page R26:
- (US, dated, not-comparable) Designating a type of commercial lending rate, less than the prime rate, offered to desirable borrowers.