# underlie

Pronunciation: US say "un-dur-LY" /ˌʌn.dɚˈlaɪ/; say "un-duh-LY" UK /ˌʌn.dəˈlaɪ/, AUS /ˌan.dəˈlɑɪ/

## Verb

1. To serve as the basis of something or form the foundation on which it rests.
   - Simple: To be the real reason or cause behind something.
   - _Several unspoken assumptions underlie the entire argument._
   - _A simple principle underlies all of her teaching._
2. To lie underneath or below something.
   - Simple: To be located directly under something else.
   - _Ancient lava flows underlie much of the island._
   - _A network of caves underlies the old city._
3. To rest in a position directly beneath something above it.
   - Simple: To sit directly below something, with nothing in between.
   - _The oldest deposits underlie at considerable depth._
   - _A layer of permafrost underlies just below the surface._
4. To be subject to something, or bound to answer it, as with a charge or a challenge.
   - Simple: To be open to something, such as a charge or challenge that you must answer.

## Origin

From Middle English underlien, underliggen, from Old English underliċġan ("to underlie, be subject to, give way to"), formed from under- plus lie. It is related to Dutch onderliggen ("to lie below") and German unterliegen ("to lie under, be subject to").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/underlie (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).