Where does “underpayment” come from?

Underpayment comes from English under- combined with payment, with under- deriving from Middle English under-, Old English under-, Proto-Germanic under, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European n̥dʰér and h₁en.

underpayment (English): An insufficient payment; The act of making such a...

Definitions

  1. An insufficient payment; The act of making such a...

Ancestry of “underpayment”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishunder-Beneath, under
2EnglishunderIn or at a lower level than; As a subject of;...
3Middle Englishunderunder
4Old Englishunderunder, beneath
5Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér →Every word from Proto-Germanic under →