What does "underlie" mean?
Underlie: To be at the basis of; to form the foundation of; to support; as, a doctrine underlying a theory.
Additional senses
- 2.To be subject or amenable to. [R.] The knight of Ivanhoe . . . underlies the challenge of Brian der Bois Guilbert. Sir W. Scott.
- 3.To lie below or under.
- 4.See Underlay, n., 1.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00