under

Etymology

From Middle English under, from Old English under, from Proto-Germanic *under (whence also German unter, Dutch onder, Danish and Norwegian under), from a merger of Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥dʰér (“under”) and *h₁entér (“inside”). Akin to Old High German untar (“under”), Sanskrit अन्तर् (antar, “within”), Latin infrā (“below, beneath”) and inter (“between, among”).

prep

1. At the bottom of or in the area covered or surmounted by.
   We found some shade under a tree.
   About £10,000 was stuffed under the mattress.
   There is nothing new under the sun.
   There is an oil leak under the car.
   Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 14, in The China Governess
   Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale.[…]Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge. 2013-06-29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 28
   1. Below the surface of.
      The crocodile lurked just under the water.
2. From one side of to the other, passing beneath.
   I crawled under the fence.
   There is a tunnel under the English Channel.
3. Less than.
   Interest rates are now under 1%.
   We can get there in under an hour.
4. Subordinate to; subject to the control of; in accordance with; in compliance with.
   He served in World War II under General Omar Bradley.
   During the pandemic, we had to live under severe restrictions.
   Under the law and concession agreement with other parties, the private company must pay taxes in time and on a right amount.
   There is general agreement that his military forces were organized into six divisions. They were stationed at the following places: at Ti-hua under the command of Liu Hsi-tsen, at T'a-ch'eng under Chiang Sung-lin, at Ili under Niu Shih, at A-shan under Wei Chen-kuo, at A-k'o-su under Chang Tzu-t'ing, and at Ko-shih-ko-erh (Kashgar) nominally under Tsou-ying, but in reality under Chin's brother, Chin Shu-chih. 1987, Arthur C. Hasiotis, Jr., Soviet Political, Economic, and Military Involvement in Sinkiang from 1928 to 1949, Garland Publishing, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 62
   He was then denied by a magnificent tackle from captain Terry as Liverpool continued to press - but Chelsea survived as the memories of the nightmare under Villas-Boas faded even further into the background. May 5, 2012, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport
   Dati launched a blistering attack on the prime minister, François Fillon, under whom she served as justice minister, accusing him of sexism, elitism, arrogance and hindering the political advancement of ethnic minorities. December 14, 2011, Angelique Chrisafis, “Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism”, in Guardian
5. Within the category, classification or heading of.
   File this under "i" for "ignore".
6. (figurative) In the face of; in response to (some attacking force).
   England's World Cup dreams fell apart under a French onslaught on a night when their shortcomings were brutally exposed at the quarter-final stage. 2011, Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France
   to collapse under stress; to give in under interrogation
7. Using or adopting (a name, identity, etc.).
   J.K. Rowling has written a crime novel called 'The Cuckoo's Calling' under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. 2013, The Huffington Post, JK Rowling Pseudonym: Robert Galbraith's 'The Cuckoo's Calling' Is Actually By Harry Potter Author
   He writes books under the name John Smith.
   She now lives under a new identity.

adv

1. In or to a lower or subordinate position, or a position beneath or below something, physically or figuratively.
   pulled under by the currents
   weighed under by worry
   The minstrel fell, but the foeman's chain / Could not bring his proud soul under. 1825, Thomas Moore, The Minster Boy
2. So as to pass beneath something.
   There's quite a gap, so you may be able to sneak under.
3. (usually in compounds) Insufficiently.
   The plants were underwatered.
   Women are under-represented.
4. (informal) In or into an unconscious state.
   It took the hypnotist several minutes to make his subject go under.

adj

1. Lower; beneath something.
   This treatment protects the under portion of the car from rust.
   (in compounds) underbelly, underside, undershirt, undersecretary
   The advantages he gains are of double security to him ; first, by the support of his haunches, being at all times more under than before, he learns to be more active with his hind-quarters 1835, J G. Peters, A treatise on equitation, or the art of horsemanship, page 179
   If you allow the right hand to turn under more than the left, a pull will result, and if the left is more under than the right, a sliced ball will surely follow. 1908, Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, The American golfer, volumes 1-2, page 10
   The waves are so steep, they crash so fast and furious I'm more under than up. 2009, Doris Lessing, Briefing for a Descent Into Hell, page 30
2. In a state of subordination, submission or defeat.
   The army could not keep the people under.
   When ready for sea we went up to Greenhithe, that their lordships might inspect us, and then to Portsmouth, to take troops to Cork, a pleasant trip; but the troops left us a legacy of "mahogany flats," with which their beds were so swarming that we never got them under. 1892, Sir George Giffard, Reminiscences of a Naval Officer, page 45
3. (medicine, colloquial) Under anesthesia, especially general anesthesia; sedated.
   Ensure the patient is sufficiently under.
4. (informal) Insufficient or lacking in a particular respect.
   This chicken is a bit under. (insufficiently cooked)
   This bag of apples feels under. (of insufficient weight)
   My pay packet last week was £10 under. (of insufficient monetary amount)
5. Down to defeat, ruin, or death.
   The COVID=19 epidemic and shutdown took some businesses under.
   Big-box store and online retailing have driven many specialty and local retail stores under.

noun

1. The amount by which an actual total is less than the expected or required amount.
   […] standard cash count forms used to record the count and any overs or unders. 2008, G. Puttick, Sandy van Esch, The Principles and Practice of Auditing, page 609