Where does “belowground” come from?
Belowground is a compound of English below and English ground, which derives from Old Norse grind, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrendʰ-, meaning to grind or crush.
belowground (English): beneath the surface of the ground; underground
Definitions
- beneath the surface of the ground; underground
Ancestry of “belowground”, step by step
belowground traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ground
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ground | The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky... |
| 2 | Middle English | ground | ground; Earth |
| 3 | Old English | grund | ground; bottom, foundation; abyss, depths |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | grunduz | ground, foundation |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrem- | to be angry; to sound, bellow, growl, roar, be... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |