Where does “undermaintenance” come from?

undermaintenance (English) comes from English maintenance, from Middle English mayntenaunce, from Old French maintenance, from Old French maintenir, from Vulgar Latin manuteneo, from Latin manu, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus — human being; man; hand.

undermaintenance (English): Insufficient or inadequate maintenance

Definitions

  1. Insufficient or inadequate maintenance

Ancestry of “undermaintenance”, step by step

undermaintenance traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English maintenance

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmaintenanceActions performed to keep some machine or system...
2Middle Englishmayntenaunce
3Old Frenchmaintenance
4Old Frenchmaintenirto maintain
5Vulgar LatinmanuteneoI support, maintain
6Latinmanuablative singular of manus; by hand; with the...
7Latinmanushand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting
8Proto-Italicmanushand
9Proto-Indo-Europeanman-human being; man; hand

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 man-