Etymology Explorer › Proto-Germanic

Where does “under” come from?

under (Proto-Germanic) comes from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér, from Proto-Indo-European h₁en — in; in, inside.

under (Proto-Germanic): among, between; under, beneath; under

Definitions

  1. among, between; under, beneath; under

Ancestry of “under”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
2Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside

Words derived from “under”

  • under
  • understand
  • understanding
  • undermine
  • undergraduate
  • misunderstanding
  • undermining
  • underway
  • underwear
  • underwater
  • underestimate
  • underworld
  • underscore
  • underline
  • undergrowth
  • misunderstand
  • underside
  • undercover
  • undertone
  • underpin
  • underbrush
  • understatement
  • underfoot
  • undersigned
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →