Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

underlie

/ˌʌn.dɚˈlaɪ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.68 in modern English

Syllables: un-der-lie
IPA: /ˌʌn.dɚˈlaɪ/

9

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To lie in a position directly beneath something.

Intransitive verb

verb

To lie under or beneath.

Transitive verb

verb

To serve as a basis of; form the foundation of.

Transitive verb

verb

To be subject to; be liable to answer, as a charge or challenge.

Transitive verb

verb

Example Sentences

"A stratum of clay underlies the surface gravel."
"a doctrine underlying a theory"
"[…] she was carved into the bole of a red cedar tree. Sun and storm had bleached the wood, moss here and there softened the crudeness of the modelling; sincerity underlay every stroke."
"Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes."
"The knight of Ivanhoe […] underlies the challenge of Brian der Bois Guilbert."

Etymology

From Middle English underlien, underliggen, from Old English underliċġan (“to underlie, to be subject to, give way to”), equivalent to under- + lie. Cognate with Dutch onderliggen (“to lie below, lie on the bottom of”), German unterliegen (“to lie under, be subject to, succumb”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: under
Root: underlien, underliċġan

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌʌn.dɚˈlaɪ/
British English: /ˌʌn.dəˈlaɪ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

underlies (present, singular) underlying (participle, present) underlay (past) underlain (participle, past)

Derived Forms

underlier

Synonyms

underpin

Rhymes With

by my why high try guy buy july drive-by die eye hi

Questions

How do you pronounce underlie?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌʌn.dɚˈlaɪ/.
What does underlie mean?: To lie in a position directly beneath something.
Where does underlie come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce underlie

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