underlie
pronunciation
How to pronounce underlie in British English:
UK [ˌʌndəˈlaɪ]
How to pronounce underlie in American English:
US [ˌʌndərˈlaɪ]
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- Verb:
- be or form the base for
- lie underneath
Word Origin
- underlie (v.)
- Old English under licgan "to be subordinate to, to submit to;" see under + lie (v.2). Meaning "to lie under or beneath" is attested from c. 1600; figurative sense of "to be the basis of" is attested from 1852 (implied in underlying). Similar formation in Old High German untarliggan; German unterliegen.
Example
- 1. These details underlie higher level topics like thread synchronization and the need for the core i7 .
- 2. But it has not developed the habits of tolerance between communities and the independent institutions that underlie all truly successful democracies .
- 3. As we collectively embark upon the building of a nonviolent civilization , it is prudent to take a closer look at the assumptions and values that underlie our diets .
- 4. Now researchers have uncovered the changes in the brain that underlie that phenomenon .
- 5. Technology improvements underlie these trends .