underlie

underlie
un|der|lie [ ,ʌndər`laı ] (present participle un|der|ly|ing [ ,ʌndər`laııŋ ] ; past tense un|der|lay [ ,ʌndər`leı ] ; past participle un|der|lain [ ,ʌndər`leın ] ) verb transitive
to be the real or basic cause of or reason for something:
What really underlies most heart disease?
The safety of children underlies all our decisions.

Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.

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  • underlie — [un΄dərlī′] vt. underlay, underlain, underlying [ME underlien < OE underlicgan] 1. to lie under or beneath [trusses underlie the roof] 2. to be the basis for; form the foundation of 3. Finance to have priority over (another) in order of claim …   English World dictionary

  • Underlie — Un der*lie , v. t. [AS. underlicgan. See {Under}, and {Lie} to be prostrate.] 1. To lie under; to rest beneath; to be situated under; as, a stratum of clay underlies the surface gravel. [1913 Webster] 2. To be at the basis of; to form the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Underlie — Un der*lie , v. i. To lie below or under. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Underlie — Un der*lie , n. See {Underlay}, n., 1. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • underlie — index inspire Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • underlie — (v.) O.E. under licgan to be subordinate to, to submit to; see UNDER (Cf. under) + LIE (Cf. lie) (v.2). Meaning to lie under or beneath is attested from c.1600; figurative sense of to be the basis of is attested from 1852 (implied in underlying) …   Etymology dictionary

  • underlie — ► VERB (underlying; past underlay; past part. underlain) ▪ lie or be situated under. DERIVATIVES underlying adjective …   English terms dictionary

  • underlie — underlay, underlie 1. The addition of the prefix under makes both verbs transitive (i.e. take an object) and therefore they do not entirely correspond to the grammatical functions of lay and lie. The form of the past tense and past participle of… …   Modern English usage

  • underlie — See overlay, overlie, underlay, underlie See underlay, underlie …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • underlie — 01. A solid belief in social justice [underlies] this party s entire political philosophy. 02. You ll need to find the [underlying] cause of the problem before you can hope to find any solution. 03. A doctor s [underlying] belief system will… …   Grammatical examples in English

  • underlie — UK [ˌʌndə(r)ˈlaɪ] / US [ˌʌndərˈlaɪ] verb [transitive] Word forms underlie : present tense I/you/we/they underlie he/she/it underlies present participle underlying UK [ˌʌndə(r)ˈlaɪɪŋ] / US [ˌʌndərˈlaɪɪŋ] past tense underlay UK [ˌʌndə(r)ˈleɪ] / US… …   English dictionary

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