Underlie /(?)/
Un·der·lie
Underlie
v. t.
- To lie under; to rest beneath; to be situated under; as, a stratum of clay underlies the surface gravel.
- To be at the basis of; to form the foundation of; to support; as, a doctrine underlying a theory.
-
To be subject or amenable to. [R.]
The knight of Ivanhoe . . . underlies the challenge of Brian der Bois Guilbert.
Underlie
v. i.
- To lie below or under.
Underlie
n.
- See Underlay, n., 1.