Where does “under” come from?

Under comes from Old English under, from Proto-Germanic under, from Proto-Indo-European n̥dʰér, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁en.

under (English): In or at a lower level than; As a subject of;...

Definitions

  1. In or at a lower level than; As a subject of;...

Ancestry of “under”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishunderunder
2Old Englishunderunder, beneath
3Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside

Words derived from “under”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →