nether

American  

[neth-er] / ˈnɛð ər /

adjective

1. lying or believed to lie beneath the earth's surface; infernal.

   the nether regions.

2. lower or under.

   his nether lip.

---

nether British  

/ ˈnɛðə /

adjective

1. placed or situated below, beneath, or underground

   nether regions

   a nether lip

---

Other Word Forms

• netherward adjective

Etymology

Origin of nether

before 900; Middle English nethere, Old English neothera, nithera, derivative of nither down (cognate with German nieder ), literally, further down, equivalent to ni- down + -ther comparative suffix

Explanation

The nether part of something is the lowest part of it, the bottom. If you’re having, ahem, trouble in the toilet, you might want to go talk to the doc about your nether parts. You might find the word nether in old books where "the nether world" could mean the world under the earth’s surface, like in Dante’s Inferno where he travels through hell, under the earth, before climbing up to paradise in the heavens. If you look closely you can hear the word nether in the word we normally use now: beneath.

Example Sentences

Montague plotting, are never explained—into the nether reaches beneath the hall’s seating area proves an intriguing stroke.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

It turns out that as a kind of bacteria turns from existing peacefully in our mouths to causing colon cancer in our nether regions, it produces dimethyl sulfide.

From Salon • May 31, 2025

This time, though, he knows that camera is on, and is behaving in ways many will find even more distasteful: eating the raw nether parts of camels, cows and sheep, among other things.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 27, 2022

Like all apocalypse Final Girls, she is somewhere she ought not be, in a nether region between humanity and whatever comes next.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2022

The dwarf buttoned his back flap, which had been blasted open by the gale emanating from his nether regions.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer