underlie

[ uhn-der-lahy ]
See synonyms for: underlieunderlying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),un·der·lay, un·der·lain, un·der·ly·ing.
  1. to lie under or beneath; be situated under.

  2. to be at the basis of; form the foundation of.

  1. Grammar. to function as the root morpheme or original or basic form of (a derived form): The form “boy” underlies “boyish.”

  2. Finance. to be primary to another right or security.

Origin of underlie

1
before 900; Middle English underlyen (v.), Old English underlicgan.See under-, lie2

Words Nearby underlie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use underlie in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for underlie

underlie

/ (ˌʌndəˈlaɪ) /


verb-lies, -lying, -lay or -lain (tr)
  1. to lie or be placed under or beneath

  2. to be the foundation, cause, or basis of: careful planning underlies all our decisions

  1. finance to take priority over (another claim, liability, mortgage, etc): a first mortgage underlies a second

  2. to be the root or stem from which (a word) is derived: "happy" underlies "happiest"

Derived forms of underlie

  • underlier, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012