Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “subsurface” come from?

Subsurface comes from English surface with the prefix sub- from Latin sub meaning under, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European upo with the same sense.

subsurface (English): Something that is below the layer that is on the...

Definitions

  1. Something that is below the layer that is on the...

Ancestry of “subsurface”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishsub-under, beneath; subsidiary, secondary; almost,...
2Latinsub-sub-
3Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →