underlying

[ uhn-der-lahy-ing ]

adjective

1. lying or situated beneath, as a substratum.
2. fundamental; basic:

   the underlying cause of their discontent.

3. implicit; discoverable only by close scrutiny or analysis:

   an underlying seriousness in his witticisms.

4. (of a claim, mortgage, etc.) taking precedence; anterior; prior.
5. Linguistics. belonging to an earlier stage in the transformational derivation of a sentence or other structure; belonging to the deep structure.

underlying

/ ˌʌndəˈlaɪɪŋ /

adjective

1. concealed but detectable

   underlying guilt

2. fundamental; basic
3. lying under
4. finance (of a claim, liability, etc) taking precedence; prior

Word History and Origins

Origin of underlying¹

First recorded in 1605–15; underlie + -ing ²

Example Sentences

While it works to allow more housing — the lack of which economists say is the underlying cause of the affordability crisis — the city is taking steps to increase protections for departing tenants.

From Los Angeles Times

The incentives vary by location and project type, but here’s one example: Lots near both a Metro rail station and a rapid bus line could see developers build 120% more units than the underlying zoning allows, with the percentage of required low-income affordable units ranging from 11% to 27% of the new project.

From Los Angeles Times

A newly published copy of his death certificate dispels much of the mystery: According to that document, Valenzuela’s underlying cause of death was possibly related to a liver disease and liver failure.

From Los Angeles Times

The certificate, first reported by TMZ, listed septic shock, decompensated alcoholic cirrhosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis as underlying causes.

From Los Angeles Times

Wittich has been less overtly controversial in his role, but there has remained an underlying discontent within teams and drivers about the management of FIA race control.

From BBC

Related Words

• basic
• elemental
• hidden