undergird
pronunciation
How to pronounce undergird in British English:
UK ['ʌndə'gɜ:d]
How to pronounce undergird in American English:
US [ˌʌndɚˈɡɚd]
-
- Verb:
- lend moral support to
- make secure underneath
Word Origin
- undergird (v.)
- 1520s, from under + gird (v.). Related: Undergirded; undergirding.
Example
- 1. We took measures to undergird the ship .
- 2. They undergird civilization . But they aren 't gifts outright .
- 3. The distinctives of reformed theology and practice are usefulonly to the degree that they undergird and clarify the gospel , theevangel .
- 4. Effective government to undergird a market-based economic system is not a liberal idea , but a practical imperative to meet the needs for a successful economy that markets won 't fulfil .
- 5. These definitions undergird five propositions that define the essential characteristics of institutional change .