ENGLISH
REFERENCE

underlie

v.
US //ˌəndɝˈɫaɪ// UK //ˌʌndəlˈaɪ// un·der·lie Academic
Origin

From Middle English underlien, underliggen, from Old English underliċġan (“to underlie, to be subject to, give way to”), equivalent to under- + lie. Cognate with Dutch onderliggen (“to lie below, lie on the bottom of”), German unterliegen (“to lie under, be subject to, succumb”).

© 2026 English Reference