Where does “undertrump” come from?

undertrump (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.

undertrump (English): To play a lower trump card than the previous one...

Definitions

  1. To play a lower trump card than the previous one...

Ancestry of “undertrump”, step by step

undertrump 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 Trump

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishTrumpThe suit, in a game of cards, that outranks all others
2Middle EnglishtrumpeA trumpet, horn, or similar musical instrument;...
3Old Frenchtrompetrump, trumpet; horn, trump, trumpet
4Frankishtrumpatrump, trumpet; trumpet
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér →Every word from Proto-Germanic under →