Where does “underpin” come from?

Underpin comes from English pin and peen, from Old English pinn, from Proto-Germanic under, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bend- and h₁en meaning to bend.

underpin (English): To support from below with props or masonry; To...

Definitions

  1. To support from below with props or masonry; To...

Ancestry of “underpin”, 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

Words derived from “underpin”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér →Every word from Proto-Germanic under →