Where does “underclay” come from?

underclay (English) comes from English clay, from Middle English cley, from Old English clǣġ, from Proto-West Germanic klaij, from Proto-Germanic klajjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gley-.

underclay (English): A stratum of clay lying beneath a coal bed

Definitions

  1. A stratum of clay lying beneath a coal bed

Ancestry of “underclay”, step by step

underclay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English clay

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishclayA mineral substance made up of small crystals of...
2Middle Englishcleyclay, plaster, or earth like clay; Any earth or...
3Old Englishclǣġclay
4Proto-West Germanicklaijclay
5Proto-Germanicklajjazclay
6Proto-Indo-European*gley-—

via English under

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunderIn or at a lower level than; As a subject of;...
2Middle Englishunderunder
3Old Englishunderunder, beneath
4Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *gley- →