Where does “underspecification” come from?

underspecification (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.

underspecification (English): Inadequate specification; failure to specify in...

Definitions

  1. Inadequate specification; failure to specify in...

Ancestry of “underspecification”, step by step

underspecification traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

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

via English specification

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspecificationAn explicit set of requirements to be satisfied...
2Middle Frenchspecification
3Latinspecificationem
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁enEvery word from Proto-Indo-European h₁entérEvery word from Proto-Germanic under
underspecification — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer