Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “undergrow” come from?

undergrow (English) comes from English under, from Middle English under, from Old English under, from Proto-Germanic under, from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér, from Proto-Indo-European h₁en — in; in, inside.

undergrow (English): To grow to an inferior, or less than the usual,...

Definitions

  1. To grow to an inferior, or less than the usual,...

Ancestry of “undergrow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunderIn or at a lower level than; As a subject of;...
2Middle Englishunder—
3Old Englishunderunder
4Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →