Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

underlay

/ʌndəɹˈleɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.28 in modern English

Syllables
un-der-lay
IPA
/ʌndəɹˈleɪ/
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

simple past of underlie

verb

To lay (something) underneath something else; to put under.

Transitive verb

verb

To provide a support for something; to raise or support by something laid under.

Transitive verb

verb

To put a tap on (a shoe).

Transitive verb

verb

To incline from the vertical.

noun

A layer (of earth, etc.) that lies under another; substratum.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A soft floor covering that lies under a carpet.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Anything that is underlaid.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English underleyen, from Old English underleċġan (“to underlay, prop, support”), equivalent to under- + lay. Cognate with Dutch onderleggen (“to lay or put under”), German unterlegen (“to underlay”), Swedish underlägga (“to underlay”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

underlays (present, singular) underlaying (participle, present) underlaid (participle, past) underlaid (past) underlays (plural)

Derived Forms

underlayment

Synonyms

hade carpet pad rug pad underlayment

Rhymes With

they me way may day say all-day away play day by day today pay

Questions

How do you pronounce underlay?
The recorded pronunciation is /ʌndəɹˈleɪ/.
What does underlay mean?
simple past of underlie
Where does underlay come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce underlay

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “underlay”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ʌndəɹˈleɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “underlay”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “underlay” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.