Bysurface analysis,underlie +-ing.
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underlying (notcomparable)
- (literal)lyingunderneath
We dug down to theunderlying rock.
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto II”, inIn Memoriam, London:Edward Moxon, […],→OCLC:Old Yew, which graspest at the stones
That name theunder-lying dead,
Thy fibres net the dreamless head,
Thy roots are wrapt about the bones.
1950 January, “Re-Signalling at Liverpool Lime Street Station”, inRailway Magazine, page43:During the track renewals, advantage was taken to redrain the area and the old spent ballast was removed down to theunderlying rock, new ballast and drains being provided throughout.
2012, Chinle Miller,In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition:Sometimes, theunderlying layers are exposed by erosion, revealing the story of the rocks like an open book.
- basic orfundamental
Points and straight lines areunderlying elements of geometry.
2018 January 18, Jürgen Götz, “Why it’s so hard to treat dementia”, inCNN[1]:Finding a successful treatment for Alzheimer’s faces two major hurdles: the first being we still don’t know enough about the disease’sunderlying biology.
2020 December 2, Christian Wolmar, “Wales offers us a glimpse of an integrated transport policy”, inRail, page56:Theunderlying problem with transport policy is that there no coherent strategy. Ministers have tended to encourage greater use of motor vehicles through both transport and (particularly) planning policies, while simultaneously warning of the terrible consequences of unfettered growth of road use.
- implicit
Many nursery rhymes have anunderlying meaning.
This adjective is overwhelmingly often (if not always) found inattributive rather thanpredicative use.
Translations to be checked
underlying (pluralunderlyings)
- (finance) The entity from whoseperformance aderivativederives itsvalue.
underlying
- presentparticiple andgerund ofunderlie
