underpin
/ˌʌn.dɚˈpɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.67 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "You should underpin the mine roof to prevent further collapse."
- "Public confidence in politicians must underpin our democracy."
- "Since Rupert Murdoch famously bet the farm on Premier League football to rescue Sky TV in 1991, it has been the catnip that has underpinned subscriber loyalty and, even in a far more complicated media landscape, is seen as so vital as to be worth almost any price."
- "The operator said the results were underpinned by a 16% increase in Q3 sales from North America."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *-tér Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér Proto-Indo-European *h₂én Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *-dʰi ? Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- Proto-Germanic *pinnaz Proto-West Germanic *pinn Old English pinn Middle English pinne English pin English underpin From under- + pin.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌʌn.dɚˈpɪn/
- British English: /ˌʌn.dəˈpɪn/