subalternate vs vassal

subalternate

adj
  • Subaltern; inferior; subordinate. 

  • Succeeding by turns; successive. 

noun
  • A particular proposition, as opposed to a universal one. 

vassal

adj
  • Resembling a vassal; slavish; servile. 

verb
  • To treat as a vassal or to reduce to the position of a vassal; to subject to control; to enslave. 

  • To subordinate to someone or something. 

noun
  • The grantee of a fief, a subordinate granted use of a superior's land and its income in exchange for vows of fidelity and homage and (typically) military service. 

  • Any subordinate bound by similar close ties. 

  • Any direct subordinate bound by such vows to a superior. 

How often have the words subalternate and vassal occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )