Where does “underlying” come from?

Underlying derives from Middle English underlien, from Old English underliċġan, a compound of under- and liċġan meaning to lie beneath.

underlying (English): lying underneath; basic or fundamental; implicit

Definitions

  1. lying underneath; basic or fundamental; implicit

Ancestry of “underlying”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunderlieTo lie in a position directly beneath; To lie...
2Middle Englishunderlien—
3Old Englishunderliċġanto underlie, to be subject to, give way to

Words derived from “underlying”

Every word from Old English underliċġan →Every word from Middle English underlien →Every word from English underlie →