underneath

English

Etymology

FromMiddle Englishundernethe,undernethen,fromOld Englishunderneoþan(“underneath”),ultimately fromProto-Germanic*underniþer.

Pronunciation

• (UK)IPA^(key):/ʌndəˈniːθ/

• Audio(UK):

  (file)

• (Canada)IPA^(key):/ʌndɚˈniθ/
• (US)IPA^(key):/ʌndɚˈniθ/,/ʌndɚˈnið/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-iːθ,-iːð

Adverb

underneath(notcomparable)

1. Below;in aplacebeneath.
   • 1825,Isaac Taylor,Scenes of British Wealth: In Produce, Manufactures, and Commerce, for the Amusement and Instruction of Little Tarry At-home Travellers‎^[1]:

     connected with itunderneath,you see a very fine hair-spring.

   (Can we add anexamplefor this sense?)

2. On theundersideorlowerface.
   • 1832,Georges Cuvier,translated by Edward Griffith, edited by Georges Cuvier, Edward Pidgeon,andEdward Griffith,The Animal Kingdom: Arranged in Conformity with Its Organization‎^[2],volume14,published2012,→ISBN:

     No insects exhibit, like them, what may be termed four net-work eyes. It is very easy to perceive them in looking at the animal from above, and then examining itunderneath

   (Can we add anexamplefor this sense?)

Translations

below; in a place beneath

• Arabic:تَحْت(ar)(taḥt),أَسْفَل(ʔasfal)
• Bulgarian:долу(dolu)
• Catalan:sota(ca)
• Chamicuro:yajkana
• Chickasaw:nota'
• Esperanto:malsupre
• Faliscan:ifra(ifra)
• Finnish:alla(fi),alapuolella(fi)
• French:dessous(fr)
• German:unten(de)
• Hungarian:alatt(hu)
• Irish:ar íochtar
• Latin:subtus,subter
• Navajo:bitłʼáahgi,bitłʼáahdi,biyaagi,biyaadi
• Ottoman Turkish:آشاغی(aşağı)
• Polish:pod spodem
• Portuguese:abaixo(pt)
• Romanian:sub(ro)
• Spanish:abajo(es)
• Turkish:altında(tr),altı(tr)

on the underside or lower face of

• Arabic:تَحْت(ar)(taḥt),أَسْفَل(ʔasfal)
• Bulgarian:отдолу(bg)(otdolu)
• Catalan:sota(ca)
• Chickasaw:nota'
• Finnish:alla(fi),alapuolella(fi)
• German:unten(de)
• Middle Low German:under,undene,dāle,nēden
• Polish:pod spodem
• Spanish:por debajo

Preposition

underneath

1. Under,below, beneath.

   Underneaththe water, all was calm.

   We flewunderneaththe bridge.

   We lookedunderneaththe table.

2. Under thecontrolorpowerof.

   There was little freedomunderneaththe jackboot.

Derived terms

• get underneath someone's skin
• underneath one's breath

Translations

under, below, beneath

• Arabic:تَحْت(ar)(taḥt),أَسْفَل(ʔasfal)
• Bulgarian:под(bg)(pod)
• Catalan:sota(ca)
• Chickasaw:nota'
• Czech:pod(cs)
• Finnish:alla(fi),alta(fi),alle(fi),alapuolella(fi),alapuolelta(fi),alapuolelle(fi)
• French:en dessous(fr),dessous(fr),sous(fr)
• German:unterhalb(de)
• Hindi:नीचे(hi)(nīce)
• Irish:faoi bhun
• Latin:sub(la)(+ acc. or abl.)
• Polish:pod(pl)
• Portuguese:por baixo(pt)
• Russian:(with instrumental or accusative)под(ru)(pod)
• Spanish:bajo(es)
• Tocharian B:ñor
• Turkish:alt(tr)

under the control or power of

• Catalan:sota(ca)
• Czech:vespod
• Finnish:alla(fi),alaisuudessa(fi)
• French:sous(fr)
• Portuguese:sob(pt)
• Russian:(with instrumental)под(ru)(pod)
• Spanish:bajo(es)
• Turkish:emri altında

Adjective

underneath(notcomparable)

1. Under, lower.

   You can have theunderneathbunk.

   • 1990,Stephen King,The Moving Finger:

     The mess in the kitchen was one thing. The way the place smelled was another—some sort of chemistry-lab stink on top, some other smell underneath it. He was afraid theunderneathsmell might be blood.

Translations

under, lower

• Bulgarian:долен(bg)(dolen)
• Chickasaw:nota'
• Finnish:alempi(fi),ala-(fi),alapuolinen(fi)
• French:du dessousmorf,d’en dessousmorf
• Hindi:नीचे(hi)(nīce)
• Ottoman Turkish:آشاغی(aşağı)
• Turkish:altı(tr),alt kısmı

Noun

underneath(usuallyuncountable,pluralunderneaths)

1. Thebottomof something.

   Theunderneathof the aircraft was painted blue.

   • 1938,Xavier Herbert,chapter V, inCapricornia‎^[3],page64:

     Nawnim yelped, heaved away, struck his head on theunderneathof the bed, and rolled into view bawling.

   • 2002,Mary Ann Caws,Surrealist Painters and Poets: An Anthology‎^[4],page229:

     It was a monolith of a golden color, opening at its base on to a cavern: itsunderneathwas hollowed out by water.

   • 2010,Molly Brodak,A Little Middle of the Night‎^[5],page13:

     I have been looking for an underneath I couldn't see.

   • 2011,Nigella Lawson,Nigella Express: Good Food Fast‎^[6]:

     they harden up a little as they cool, and they should be damp within; that's what makes them chewy, so don't worry that theunderneathsof the macaroons look sticky.

2. Abackgroundradiosound trackplayed during a specific announcement or program.
   • 2009,Jay Trachtenberg (radio host), KUT-FM Radio, Austin, Texas, 17 Dec.:

     Theunderneathis music from the latest album by [...].

Translations

the part under or lower

• Finnish:alapuoli(fi),alaosa(fi)
• French:dessous(fr)m
• Hindi:निचला(hi)(niclā)
• Ottoman Turkish:آشاغی(aşağı)
• Polish:spód(pl)m,dół(pl)m
• Russian:ни́жняя сторона́f(nížnjaja storoná)
• Spanish:bajos(es)mpl(in cars)
• Turkish:altı(tr)

background sound track

• Finnish:tunnussävel,tunnari(fi)

References

• “underneath”,inOneLook Dictionary Search.
• “underneath”,inThe Century Dictionary[…],New York, N.Y.:The Century Co.,1911,→OCLC.

Anagrams

• unadherent