un·der·line

[v. uhn-der-lahyn, uhn-der-lahyn; n. uhn-der-lahyn] verb, un·der·lined, un·der·lin·ing, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to mark with a line or lines underneath; underscore.
2.
to indicate the importance of; emphasize, as by stressing or italicizing.
noun
3.
Printing. a caption under an illustration.
4.
a line drawn under something; an underscore.

Origin:
1715–25; under- + line1

un·der·lin·e·a·tion [uhn-der-lin-ee-ey-shuhn] , noun
un·der·lin·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Underline is one of our favorite verbs.
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to flee; abscond:
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
Collins
World English Dictionary
underline
 
vb
1.  to put a line under
2.  to state forcibly; emphasize or reinforce
 
n
3.  a line underneath, esp under written matter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

underline
1721, from under + line (v.). Cf. Du. onderlijnen. The noun is attested from 1888.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
We need a detail plan that will underline a step by step process for the next
  five years.
Your statements underline my conviction that you are utterly ignorant of the
  evidence.
But it does underline that the country's security problems are changing.
Despite some bright news recently, the pictures underline the economy's
  weakness since that date.
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