belowground

[ bih-loh-ground ]

adjective

1. situated beneath the surface of the earth; subterranean.
2. no longer living; buried, as in a cemetery (usually used predicatively):

   All those who might have known about the incident are now belowground.

Word History and Origins

Origin of belowground¹

First recorded in 1955–60; below + ground ¹

Example Sentences

"While belowground processes are very important for ecosystem function, they are poorly understood compared to above-ground processes because they are more difficult to study," said Wong.

From Science Daily

The basic chemical make-up of the aboveground and belowground acylsugars were noticeably different, so much so that they could be defined as different classes of acylsugars entirely.

From Science Daily

Another innovation was the dumbwaiter, which moved hot food and bottles of wine from the belowground kitchens and storerooms—called “dependencies”—up to the first floor.

From Literature

For example, if voles are getting more of their energy from belowground sources, they may be consuming fewer plants, which could increase carbon storage in aboveground ecosystems.

From Science Daily

Sandia led the computational modeling of the belowground system, while the National Renewable Energy Laboratory used the numerical results to estimate the economic viability of the system through their aboveground power plant and economic model.

From Science Daily