| 释义 |
▪ I. under, n. rare.
[f. under adv. and under- prefix1.]
1. a. A state of lowness or inferiority. In phr. to be at a great under. Now dial.
1600Holland Livy xxii. lxi. 471 They were unwilling..that Anniball (who as the voyce went, was at a very great under for money) should be inriched thereby. 1869Lonsdale Gloss. 89/2 To be at a girt under, to be in a state of thraldom, subdued.
b. dial. An undervalue.
1828Carr Craven Gloss. s.v.
2. pl. Underclothes, underwear.
1731Fielding Letter-writers Wks. 1775 II. 158 He'll make us pope [= pawn] our unders for the reckoning: we'll not go with him. 1905‘E. Nesbit’ Amulet vii, Let's..get into flannels. We can't go in our unders.
▪ II. under
obs. var. undern n.
▪ III. ˈunder, a.
[f. under- prefix1, detached from compounds on the analogy of over a.
There is no clear distinction between the prefix and the adj. when immediately preceding a noun, beyond the writing of the latter as a separate word.]
1. Having a lower or underlying place or position; lying beneath or at a lower level:
a. Of places, their contents or inhabitants.
a1300Cursor M. 541 Þe ouer fir gis man his sight, Þat ouer air of hering might; Þis vnder wynd him gis his aand. 1597Beard Theatre God's Judgem. (1612) 222 He first remoued his lodging..to a base vnder roome. c1611Chapman Iliad xix. 2 The Morne arose, and..Gaue light to all, As well to gods, as men of th' vnder globe. 1632Lithgow Trav. ii. 49 The Sunne had imparted his brightnesse to our vnder neighbours. 1874Swinburne Bothwell iv. i, For look where yonder..Comes up to usward from the under field One with a flag of message. 1897Daily News 15 Oct. 5/2 He took to the water, disappeared, leaving it on the low under bank of the stream.
b. Of things (esp. one of a pair).
1648[see sub- 10]. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. vii. iii. 7 The Wyre at the under end at D. 1704Dict. Rust. (1726) s.v. Cart, The under pieces which keep the bottom of the Cart together. 1723Chambers tr. Le Clerc's Treat. Archit. I. 89 The upper Order must always be less Massive than the under. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. II. v. 91 Those [adults] whose upper and under row of teeth are equally prominent. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 765 The upper stopcock is closed, and the under is opened to run off the liquor. 1859Tennyson Geraint & Enid 675 At this he turn'd all red.., Now gnaw'd his under, now his upper lip.
2. a. Lying under (so as to be covered).
1547in Feuillerat Revels Edw. VI (1914) 12 Twoo vnder ffrockes without sleves. 1611Bible 2 Esdras xii. 19 The eight small vnder feathers sticking to her wings. 1611Florio, Sottocoperta, an vnder couerlet. 1872[see under-garment].
b. Facing downwards.
1731P. Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Leaves, The upper and under Surfaces of the two Leaves. 1738[see underside β]. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 999 The under face of the licker-up is made rough like a rasp. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 267 This lever is sunk into the under surface of D.
c. Of sound: Low, subdued.
1806Wolcot (P. Pindar) Tristia Wks. 1812 V. 319 Tones in the Minor Key, so sweet, so under. 1834Wordsw. Lines in Album of C'tess Lonsdale 33 Those self-solacing, those under, notes Trilled by the redbreast.
3. Inferior, subordinate; of lower rank or position.
1580Brief Disc. why Cath. refuse to goe to Ch. 41 b, For that they haue not receaued the vnder Orders, which they should haue done before Preisthoode. 1611Cotgr., Soubzacazement, a dead Fief, rent secke, mesne, or vnder rent. 1693Humours Town 86 The under classes of them, Attorneys, Sollicitors, and Pettifoggers. 1727Pope, etc. Art of Sinking 120 For the under characters, gather them from Homer and Virgil, and change the names as occasion serves. 1823Egan Grose's Dict. Vulgar T., Under dubber, a turnkey. 1890R. C. Lehmann H. Fludyer 33 The poor dear servants..going in batches to the pantomime—at least, the under ones.
4. Below the proper standard, amount, etc.; defective, insufficient.
1673Essex Papers (Camden) 103 Getting a long Lease of it at an under rent from y⊇ Citty. 1710Palmer Proverbs 294 Men..rarely fail of over-measure in the return of an injury, and under in the acknowledgment of a kindness. 1737Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 258 'Tis best to begin rather with an under than over Dose. 1817Keatinge Trav. I. 9 Flat tracts of hungry pasture ground in under proportion to the tillage.
▪ IV. under, prep.|ˈʌndə(r)|
Forms: 1– under (3 Orm. unnderr), 3–7 vnder (5–7 wnder), 4–5 vndere, undere (undre), vndire, 4–6 vn-, wn-, undir, 4–5 vn-, undur, 4–5 vndyr (5 hun-, 6 wn-); 4 vnþer, 5 vnther, vnþur; 4–6, 7 Sc., onder (4 honder), 5 ondre, ondyr, 5–6 ondir; 5 onþer, onther; Sc. 8 oner, 9 oonder, oon'er, unner.
[Common Teutonic: OE. under, = OFris. under, onder (WFris. ûnder, onder, NFris. onner, önner), OLFr. under, undir (MDu. and Du. onder), OS. undar (MLG. under, LG. under, unner), OHG. untar, untir, undar, undir (MHG. and G. unter), ON. and Icel. undir (Norw., Sw., Da. under), Goth. undar. The stem is regarded as identical with that of Skr. ádharas lower, inferior (adhamás lowest, adhás below, down), and L. infrā.]
I. In senses denoting position beneath or below something, so as to have it above or overhead, or to be covered by it.
1. With reference to:
a. The heavens or heavenly bodies. (See also heaven n. 1, sun n.1 1 e, cope n.1 7, canopy n. 2 b.)
Beowulf 8 He..weox under wolcnum. Ibid. 51 Hæleð under heofenum. a900Cynewulf Elene 13 (Gr.), æðelinges weox rice under roderum. c1000ælfric Gen. i. 7 Þa wæteru þe wæron under þære fæstnisse. c1175Lamb. Hom. 151 Ure drihten him solf..seide þet under houene ne [wes] nan his ilike. c1205–[see sun n. 1 e]. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 219 We weren tauht..Þat non haþel vndur heuene so holi is founde. a1400–50Alexander 247 Þare enhabetis in þat erd..Þe wisest wees in þis werd þe welken vndire. c1400Destr. Troy 3873 Was neuer kyng vnder cloude his knightes more louet. 1458Agnes Paston in P. Lett. I. 423 The blyssyng of all seyntes undir heven. a1542Wyatt in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 64 Thinke not alone vnder the sunne Vnquit to cause thy louers plaine. 1555[see firmament 1]. 1609Bible (Douay) Deut. xxix. 20 Our Lord abolish his name vnder heauen. 1644Milton Educ. 7 They are by a sudden..watch word, to be call'd out to their military motions, under skie or covert, according to the season. 1712Berkeley Pass. Obed. Wks. 1871 III. 108 In every kingdom or society of men under heaven. 1766Goldsm. Vic. W. xiv, The greatest rascal under the canopy of heaven. 1821Wordsw. Three Cottage Girls 56 Gay vision under sullen skies! 1885Manch. Exam. 29 June 5/3 They rush off immediately..and bathe under a hot and broiling sun.
†b. The Deity as dwelling in heaven. Obs.
c1205Lay. 27976 Neoðeles heo auered weoren..þat nusten heo under criste nenne ræd godne. c1320Cast. Love 225 Þat vche þing vnder heuene-driht So muche les of strengþe and miht. c1400Destr. Troy 11776 There is no greuaunce so grete vndur god one, As the glemyng of gold.
c. Special parts of the heavens, esp. as indicating terrestrial locality.
c1391Chaucer Astrol. i. §21 Whan the planetes ben vnder thilke signes, þei causen vs..effectes lik to the operaciouns of bestes. c1400[see planet n.1 1 b]. 1432–50[see pole n.2 1]. c1450Holland Howlat 31 Under the Cirkill solar thir sauorus seidis War nurist be dame Natur. 1559W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 82 There be some that suppose..Paradise to be situated vnder th' Equinoctiall. 1590Spenser F.Q. iii. iii. 6 The learned Merlin well could tell, Vnder what coast of heauen the man did dwell. 1611R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. 437 Authours affirme, that vnder the very pole lyeth a black and high rocke. 1634Herbert Trav. 186 This day we were under nine degrees fifteene minutes North. 1679Moxon Math. Dict. 162 Under the Sun Beams. 1728Chambers Cycl. s.v. Current, Under the Equator, where the Motion of the Earth is the greatest. 1783Justamond tr. Raynal's Hist. Indies (ed. 3) I. 3 A man living under the equator or under the pole.
d. The stars as having influence on persons.
1583Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. I 4, Whether all the host of Pharao were borne vnder one and the same starre and planet. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. ii. 2 Ah lucklesse babe, borne vnder cruell starre. 1601[see star n. 3]. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 525 Great applications were made to the Duke for saving his life: But he was not born under a pardoning planet. 1823Scott Quentin D. xii, This..youth has his destiny under the same constellation with mine. 1837[see planet n.1 1 b].
2. With reference to the surface of the earth or water. (Cf. underground adv.)
In early use without the before the noun.
Beowulf 1656 Ic þæt unsofte ealdre ᵹediᵹde, wiᵹᵹe under wætere. Ibid. 2415 Goldmaðmas heold eald under eorðan. a900Cynewulf Elene 218 (Gr.), Hwær se wuldres beam haliᵹ under hrusan hyded wære. a1300Cursor M. 1079 Þe bodi moght he nan-gat hide, For vnder erth most it not rest. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 2068 He dide hure kepe Vnder erthe in a seler depe. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vi. ii. (Bodl. MS.), He is iputte aside and iberied vndur þe erthe. c1400Gamelyn 68 A-none as he was dede and vnder gras grave. 1477Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 22 But nowe they may not be perceyued for they ar hidde vnther the erthe. c15111st Eng. Bk. Amer. Introd. (Arb.) 28/1 There dwellyng is vnder the erthe. 1530Palsgr. 328/1 Under the grounde, soubzterraine. 1555Eden Decades (Arb.) 142 They had certeyne dyuers or fysshers exercised..in swymmynge vnder the water. 1601Holland Pliny II. 408 Anon it is swallowed up within a hole under the ground. 1721[see turf n.1 2]. 1790[see earth n.1 2]. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) V. 21 In cases of copyholds, a lord may have a right under the soil of the copyholder. 1880R. M. Ballantyne (title), Under the Waves; or, Diving in Deep Waters.
3. a. With words denoting natural or artificial structures or means of shelter; freq. = beneath the cover or shelter of.
See also glass n.1 3 b, hatch n.1 3, 4, roof n. 1 b. For examples with abstract terms see cover n.1 3 c, covert n. 2 c, shade n. 8, umbrage n. 2 b.
a900Cynewulf Elene 653 (Gr.), Ᵹe þa byrᵹenna under stanhleoðum..on ᵹewritu setton. 971Blickl. Hom. 209 Under þæm stane wæs niccra eardung & wearᵹa. c1000ælfric Gen. xxi. 15 Heo þa alede þone sunu under sumum treowe. a1310in Wright Lyric P. xiii. 44 Wormes woweth under cloude [= clod]. 1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 14 Sibriht, þat I of told,..Þat a suynhird slouh vnder a busk of thorn. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 435 We ne han none hous bote holus in þe holou cauus Vndur hillus ful hie. c1374Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 19 Thow..Syngest with voice memorial in þe shade Vndir the laurier. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) iii. 9 Vnder þe stages er stables. 1422Yong tr. Secreta Secret. 192 Lik as a man ne restith not well vndir a dropping hous. c1470Gol. & Gaw. 356 Thus with trety ye cast yon trew vndre tyld. 1508Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 11, I hard, vnder ane holyn.., Ane hie speiche at my hand. 1571Campion Hist. Irel. ii. ix. (1633) 115 You are served under a Canopy. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. vi. 36 [He] giueth vnto the inhabitants..these trees..vpon condition that euery one..shall trim them & keep the ground cleane that is vnder them. 1662Extr. St. Papers Friends Ser. ii. (1911) 148 These Anabaptist..meete..privately vnder hedges at vnseasonable houres in the night. 1693Humours Town 43 If they had kept under their own Vine in the Country. 1711Steele Spect. 82 ⁋1 Passing under Ludgate the other Day, I heard a Voice bawling for Charity. 1761F. Sheridan Sidney Bidulph I. 319 Whatever your designs may be, it will be less to my dishonour if you prosecute them from under your husband's roof. 1843Fraser's Mag. XXVIII. 649 Under this canopy was the coffin. 1891Farrar Darkn. & Dawn lxiv, They reached the green level under the trees.
fig.1711Spect. No. 67 ⁋5, I love to shelter my self under the Examples of Great Men.
b. Sc. With reference to the cover or shelter of darkness. under night, during the night, by night.
under cloud of night: see cloud n. 9.
1434Extr. Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 391 That na fischar of sawmound..house nane bot thai be tane vndir nycht, and on the morn brocht to the markete. 1508Kennedie Flyting w. Dunbar 428 And ondir nycht quhyle stall thou staggis & stirkis. 1567Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 592 The said Oliver..come to the said Androis dwelling hous..under silence of nycht. 1725Ramsay Gentle Sheph. ii. iii, He brought east the howdy under night. 1730T. Boston Mem. xi. (1899) 371 Under night we lost the way again. 1824Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. 450 To sing undernight for ‘bawbees’ in the large towns on their way. 1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm I. 129 Some mares..are known to drop their foals under night in the stable.
4. a. In general use.
In some phrases with development of figurative senses: see foot n. 33, nose n. 7 b, rose n.1 7, wing n. under metal: see metal n. 7; under the counter: see counter n.3 4 b; under the table: see table n. 5 e and 6 d. In quot. 1553 the reference is app. to relative position on the map.
c825Vesp. Ps. ix. 28 Under tungan his [bioð] ᵹewin & sar. c950Lindisf. Gosp. Mark iv. 21 Hueðer cuom leht-fæt..þætte under mitta..ᵹesetted bið vel under bed. a1000Kent. Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 82 Sub ascella sua, under his oxne. a1250Owl & Night. 86 Þe were icundere to one frogge Þat sit at Mulne vnder cogge. c1320Sir Tristr. 1947 A siue he fond tite And bond vnder his fete. c1386Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1727 Ant in that selue moment Palamon Is vnder Venus Estward in the place. a1400Octouian 1851, I fond my chyld lye yn oo place, Onther a lyone..With whelpys tweyne. c1430Art of Nombryng (E.E.T.S.) 15 Therfor vnder the last in an od place sette me most fynde a digit. 1508Kennedie Flyting w. Dunbar 364 Thou wald be fayn to gnaw,..Wnder my burd, smoch banis behynd doggis bakkis. 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §27 If it be a newe house, they thacke it vnder theyr fote. 1553Eden Treat. New Ind. (Arb.) 8 The situation of the cytie of Saba in Ethiopia vnder Egipt. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. xii. 72 If the said Work be under the Platform, Substract the Difference found by your Quadrant. 1683Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xi. ⁋23 The Stoking-hole lying far under the Caldron. 1727Bailey (vol. II), To Chuck one under the Chin. 1762Mills Syst. Pract. Husb. I. 265 The share will be more inclined..if the wedge under the beam is loosened. 1815J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 525 Here the bracket..denotes, that these two substances..form the compound written under it. 1862Thackeray Philip xxvii, Those scratches or dashes under her words, by which some ladies are accustomed to point their satire. 1888‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Childr. vii, A goodly crop of curly brown hair which he held under the pump..almost every morning.
b. Denoting the relationship of a horse to the rider, of a ship to a person on board, or of a motor-cycle to the rider.
a900Cynewulf Elene 1192 (Gr.), Þæs cyninges sceal mearh under modeᵹum midlum ᵹeweorðod. 1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 183 Fightand on a gate, vndir him þei slouh his stede. 1485Caxton Chas. Gt. 210 Also that same day the hors of charles was slayn under hym. 1709Steele Tatler No. 17 ⁋4 My Lord Galway had his Horse shot under him in this Action. 1720De Foe Capt. Singleton iii. (1840) 46 We might have some better vessels under us. 1795Ann. Reg., Hist. 30 Three horses were killed under him. 1806A. Duncan Nelson 15 His ship sunk under him. 1841Penny Cycl. XXI. 492/1 Having had a horse shot under him. 1942[see nip v.1 4 c]. 1980Dirt Bike Oct. 57/1 If you're a specialist, you must think long and hard about the MAG 3. Especially if one knifes under you on a flat corner.
c. = At a point just below (a part of the body).
c1275Passion of our Lord 388 in O.E. Misc. 48 Seþþe hi knowede and seyde, hayl gywene king, And smyten vnder þat ere, ne sparede hi no þing. c1400Rom. Rose 2097 He touchide me Vndir the side full softly. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 150 He..hit him vnder the eir with his richt hand. 1539Bible 2 Sam. iii. 27 Joab..smote hym vnder y⊇ short rybbes yt he dyed. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iii. x. 86 Breaches..gathered and made fast vnder the knee. 1604Shakes. Oth. i. ii. 5 Nine, or ten times I had thought t' haue yerk'd him here vnder the Ribbes. 1611–[see fifth a. 1 a]. 1653Urquhart Rabelais i. xxvii. 128 With a sound bounce under the hollow of their short ribs, he overturned their stomachs. 1886Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. 500 I'll gi thee a nap under the ear.
d. Denoting position between the arm, etc., and the body.
1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 119 A peyre bedes in her hande and a boke vnder her arme. c1480Henryson Fables, Lion & Mouse 37 Ane Roll of paper in his hand he bair; Ane Swannis pen stikand vnder his eir. 1485in Yorkshire Deeds (1909) 3 Lawrence..brought with him a small coferet under his arme and bar it hens. 1596Spenser F.Q. iv. vii. 24 And now he her away with him did beare Vnder his arme. 16022nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass. Prol., Stage Direction, Stagekeeper carrieth the boy away vnder his arme. 1721Kelly Scot. Prov. 319 She is welcome that brings some Present under her Arm. 1820Keats Cap & Bells lxviii, Under one arm the magic book he bore. c1850Arab. Nts. (Rtldg.) 741 She shut the box, put it under her arm, and returned to the house.
e. Passing into the sense of ‘in’.
1812Sir H. Davy Chem. Philos. 285 It may be purified by..passing it under water through shamois leather. 1827Faraday Chem. Manip. xv. (1842) 343 The transference of gas from vessel to vessel under mercury. 1855Orr's Circ. Sci., Inorg. Nat. 215 The resulting lime..sets rapidly in a damp atmosphere, and even under water.
5. Denoting the relationship of persons:
a. To something worn on the head. (In ME. esp. in conventional phrases.)
Beowulf 342 Word æfter spræc, heard under helme. Ibid. 1163 Þa cwom Wealhþeo forð gan under gyldnum beaᵹe. a1310in Wright Lyric P. xvi. 52 With browen blysfol under hode. c1400Emare 303 Ther was noþer olde ny ȝynge, That kowþe stynte of wepynge, For þat comely vnþer kelle. 1508Dunbar Poems iv. 22 He takis the knythis in to feild, Anarmit vnder helme & scheild. Ibid. v. 4 Scho wes like a caldrone cruke cler vnder kellis. 1550[see hood n.1 7]. 1667Milton P.L. iii. 640 Under a Coronet his flowing haire In curles on either cheek plaid. 1825Bentham Offic. Apt. Maximized, Indic. (1830) 38 Think now of the scene;..culprit and judge under one hood. 1846G. E. Corrie in Holroyd Mem. (1890) xi. 241 There may be..more pride and hypocrisy under a close plain bonnet, than under a veil of silk. 1853Thackeray Eng. Hum. i. 17 What small men they must have seemed under these enormous periwigs.
b. To something carried or raised above the head, as a standard, etc. Hence in pregnant sense, denoting military service, nationality, etc.
Beowulf 1205 Siðþan he under seᵹne sinc ealᵹode. c1500[see standard n. 1 b]. 1517Reg. Privy Seal Scotl. I. 451/1 William Turnbule..deit under umquhile our soverane lordis baner. a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 243 Therle of Northumberlande, vnder whose standerd were..sixe thousande and seuen .c. men. 1552[see banner n.1 1 b]. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 277 Wndir this croce, scotis men ar sure. 1611Cotgr. s.v. Subhastation, The auncient Romans vsed..to hold their Outcries [= auctions] vnder a kind of speare, or iauelin. 1667Milton P.L. vi. 533 Him soon they met Under spred Ensignes moving nigh. 1725De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 213 A small frigate-built vessel, under Spanish Colours. 1750Beawes Lex Mercat. (1752) 9 Very soon all the commerce of those parts was only carried on under French colours. 1769[see banner n.1 1]. 1852[see standard n.1 1 b]. 1869in Cornh. Mag. June (1918) 635 Some of the Colonies..may in process of time find themselves under the Stars and Stripes of the Flag of the United States.
c. Naut. Of ships, with reference to the sails, etc.
c893,1508–[see sail n.1 3 d]. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. ii. 17 Thus have you the Ship a trije under a Mizen. Ibid. 18 Thus you have the Ship..steering under all her Canvas. 1707Lond. Gaz. No. 4380/3 The Firebrand..forc'd in under a Fore-course for the Light of St. Agnes. 1719D'Urfey Pills III. 306 She lies a try under her Mizen. 1780Coxe Russ. Disc. 130 Drove 24 hours under bare poles. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast ix. 22 A large ship under top-gallant sails. 1885Law Times' Rep. LIII. 54/1 The J. M. Stevens was proceeding under all sail close-hauled on the port tack.
6. a. With reference to something which covers, clothes, envelops, or conceals; passing into the sense of ‘within’.
In ME. freq. in phrases: see quots. and gore n.2 2, lace n. 3, line n.1 2 b, shield n. 1 b. under arms (see arm n.2 5) is prob. an extension of this sense. For the fig. sense of under a cloud see cloud n. 10 b. under water (= flooded): see water n.
Beowulf 1209 He under rande ᵹecranc. a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 688, He syððan..forðferde..under Cristes claðum. a1225Leg. Kath. 809 Schome ow is to schuderin lengre under schelde. 1382Wyclif Jude i. 6 Sothliche aungels..he reseruede..in euerelastinge boondis vndir derknesse. c1386Chaucer Frankl. T. 381 Þis matere..Vnder his brest he baar it moore secree Than euere dide Pamphilus for Galathee. c1400Emare 250 Then sayde þat wordy vnþer wede. Ibid. 501 That semely vnþer serke. c1402Lydg. Compl. Bl. Knt. 64, I sawe ther Daphne closed under rynde. c1450Holland Howlat 82 That is the plesant Pacok..Constant and kirklyk vnder his cler cape. 1579W. Wilkinson Confut. Fam. Love Ep. Ded. *ij b, While the watchmen slept, many..vnder Lambes skinnes craftely crept into the sheepfold. 1599Greene Orpharion Wks. (Grosart) XII. 33 And vnder a faire face resteth a faithfull hart. 1621T. Williamson tr. Goulart's Wise Vieillard 26 Our life may be compared to..the Moone,..often ecclipsed and vnder a cloud. 1775Franklin Let. in Europ. Mag. (1804) XLV. 349/2 Please to send your letters to him, under cover, directed to Mr. Alderman Lee. 1791Cowper Odyssey vii. 357 There, under wither'd leaves, forlorn, I slept All the long night. 1798,1804[see cover n.1 2 d]. 1817T. E. Bowdich Mission to Ashantee ix. 375 It proceeds by ulcerating under the skin. 1859Habits of Gd. Society 50 If you do not wear silk stockings under your boots. 1872Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 185/2 All addressed..to him under cover to the agents of his regiment.
fig.1500–20Dunbar Poems xiii. 5, I tell ȝow this vndir confessioun.
b. Denoting the relationship of land to crops grown, or animals reared, on it: Planted, sowed or stocked with; used for growing or rearing.
(a)1569Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 676 Peciabill possessioun of the landis and stedingis of Cullard and Conege, under crop as it is. 1795Vancouver Agric. Essex 53 The marshes which were formerly under grass, are now very generally under the plough. 1806[see crop n. 8 b]. 1845Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VI. ii. 524, I put the ground..under early potatoes. 1868Ibid. Ser. ii. IV. ii. 322 This field has been laid under grass. 1890Stanley Darkest Africa I. x. 232 The Manyuema had..five acres under rice, and as many under beans.
(b)1799[A. Young] Agric. Lincoln 194 [The pasture] that had been under sheep [was] so greatly superior. 1891Pall Mall G. 24 Aug. 2/2 Again, in Ross-shire, the area under deer has advanced..to a little more than one-half.
7. a. Denoting position at the bottom or foot of something, or beside it but at a lower level: By the side of, close by (a wood, town, etc.). Sometimes with implication of shelter or protection.
Also with abstract terms, esp. lee n.1 1, shelter n. 2. under the wind: see wind n.
Beowulf 211 Flota wæs on yðum, bat under beorᵹe. Ibid. 710 Ða com of more under misthleoþum Grendel gongan. 971Blickl. Hom. 211 Þæt wæter wæs sweart under þæm clife neoðan. c1205Lay. 27163 Þa he com in ane dale vnder ane dune, þer he gon at-stonden. c1305Judas Iscariot 70 in E.E.P. (1862) 109 So þat þis tuei schrewen..Adai ȝeode alone pleye vnder an orchard. c1386Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1123 And dounward from an hille vnder a bente Ther stood the temple of Mars Armypotente. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 329 Þat ryver renneþ under the citee of Wygan. c1402Lydg. Compl. Bl. Knt. 77, I sawe a litel welle, That had his course..Under a hille. 1495Cov. Leet Bk. 563 Such grounde as the seid Maister had vnder the parke syde. a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 201 So vnder a wooddes side, thei couertly espied them passe forward. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. i. 31 b, [We lay] seuen daies vnder the castle and fortresse called Capsali. Ibid. ii. x. 44 b, The castle,..vnder which lieth a vallie very fertile. 16001st Pt. Sir J. Oldcastle iv. iv. 75 Hard vnder Islington wait you my comming. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ iii. iv. §12 That part of Thessaly which lyes under the mountains Ossa and Olympus. 1720De Foe Capt. Singleton xi. (1840) 185 We were obliged to come to an anchor under a little island. 1751C. Labelye Westm. Bridge 28 The Carpenters began to make and erect, under the Surry Shore, 12 Frames of Timber. 1806Gazetteer Scotl. (ed. 2) 402/2 Under the rock where the fowls build they row their boat. 1840Alison Hist. Eur. VIII. lxii. 365 Seeking refuge under any projecting ground from the intolerable musketry. 1842Loudon Suburban Hort. 625 Either in the open garden,..or under a wall.
b. In military and naval use.
1677Lond. Gaz. No. 1237/2 The slaughter would have been much greater, but that by the favor of the night they got under the Cannon of the Fort of Kiel. 1710Ibid. No. 4731/2 The Duke of Anjou was encamped..under the Cannon of Lerida. 1805in Nicolas Disp. Nelson (1846) VII. 167 note, At 2.5 The French Admiral's Ship under our Quarter had lost her foremast.
8. With verbs of motion, impulsion, etc., denoting change of place to a position below or beneath something.
Beowulf 403 Þa secg wisode under Heorotes hrof. Ibid. 820 Scolde Grendel þonan..fleon under fenhleoðu. c888K. ælfred Boeth. xxxix. §3 Hwa ne wundrað ðæs þæt sume steorran ᵹewitað under þa sæ. c1000Ags. Gosp. Luke vii. 6 Ne eom ic wyrðe þæt ðu ga under mine þecene. c1200Ormin 1551 And þurrh þatt tatt tu fullhtnesst hemm & unnderr waterr dippesst. c1205Lay. 8406 Tweien scalkes..scriðen under bordes & skirmden mid mæine. 13..E.E. Allit. P. C. 179 A lodes-mon lyȝtly lep vnder hachches. 1382Wyclif Luke vii. 6, I am not worthi, that thou entre vndir my roof. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. xxiv. 65 The arcenal..hath neare an hundreth arches or vaultes to builde and hale the gallies vnder couert and drye. 1617Moryson Itin. i. 210 All which, at the ringing of this bell to prayer, went vnder the hatches. 1648Hexham ii, Onderduycken, to Dive vnder water, as in swimming. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 72 When Golden Suns appear, And under Earth have driv'n the Winter Year. 1702Addison Dial. Medals (1726) 102 She thrusts a lighted torch under a heap of armour that lies by an Altar. 1806Med. Jrnl. XV. 275 He admits that various active substances may be introduced under the cuticle. 1827Mirror II. 254/1 Chance..led him under an apple-tree. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 251 Rude Boreas, who likes to let daylight under the focussing cloth.
II. In senses denoting subordination or subjection.
9. a. With reference to persons acting in a certain capacity, considered in relation to one holding a superior position or office.
c893K. ælfred Oros. iii. xi. 142 Þa þe under Alexandre fyrmest wæron. c1000Rule of Chrodegang vi, Se bisceop oððe se ðe under him ealdor is. a1300Cursor M. 16026 Þai..sent to pilate þair procuratur,..For he sett vte-ouer þam Vnder cesar þe king. c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 316 So Syryne, þat was þere cheef undur þe emperour, bigan to make þis discripcion. c1420Lydg. Assembly of Gods 1259 Then made Vertu Frewyll baylle vndyr Reson. c1425Eng. Conq. Ireland 6 In that tym was prince in wales, Rys, Gryffynes son, onþer the kyng of england. 1473Rental Bk. Cupar-Angus (1879) I. 166 We hafe grantyt hym..to mak tenandis onder hym. 1531Dial. on Laws Eng. ii. xxxvi. 75 The pope is the vycar generall vnder god. 1546Yorks. Chantry Surv. (Surtees) 348 The same prebendaries have vj vicars inducted under them. 1611Cotgr., Soubcurateur,..one that hath the..charge of a thing vnder another. 1667Milton P.L. v. 695 Hee together calls..the Regent Powers, Under him Regent. 1761List Officers Army 195/2 Capt. Sir Duncan Campbell, Bt. Staff-offi. la. under L. G. St. Clair. 1820Lamb Elia i. South-Sea House, Deputy, under Evans, was Thomas Tame. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. i. I. 55 The King was, under Christ, sole head of the Church. 1854R. S. Surtees Handley Cr. vii, Betsey, a maid of all work, and a girl under her. 1891E. Peacock N. Brendon I. 133 He had worked under Clark.
b. under God, under Heaven, etc., in parenthetic use. (Cf. god n. 9 d.)
1544Star Chamb. Cases (Selden) II. 279 The ship..wherof one John Goodlade..then vndir god was master. 1616R. Cocks Diary (Hakl. Soc.) I. 199 Of his arivall there in our junck,..he under God saveing her. a1704Locke Ess. Underst. St. Paul's Epist. (1707) 17 This is the only safe Guide (under the Spirit of God..) that can be rely'd on. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 332 He..thank'd me that had, under God, given him and so many miserable Creatures their Lives. 1841Lytton Night & Morn. iii. xi, The husband and wife..looked up to her as the author, under Heaven, of their happiness. Ibid. v. xix, It is from you, under Providence, that [etc.].
†c. = In addition to; besides. Obs.
c1400T. Chestre Launfal 48 For the lady bar..swych word, That sche had lemannys unther her lord. c1440Gesta Rom. i. 1 (Harl. MS.), Þis woman lovid by wey of synne an oþer knyȝt, vndir hire husbond. Ibid. v. 12 There was a knyȝt hadde a faire wife, þat tooke an oþer vndir him.
d. With reference to derivative rights or claims.
1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 505 As to the grantee of the rent-charge, he was in under the first joint tenant who released. 1896Law Times C. 410/1 The acts or defaults of any person other than himself and those claiming under him.
10. a. Denoting subordination to, or control by, a person or persons having or exercising recognized authority or command; occas. = in the service of.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. viii. 9 Ic..hæfo under mec ðeignas. c1000ælfric Num. iii. 9 Beon hiᵹ þenas under Aarone and his sunum. a1225Leg. Kath. 223 He ane is to herien, þurh hwam & under hwam alle kinges rixleð. c1230Hali Meid. 31 For, beo hit nu, þat..[þu] habbe monie under þe, hirdmen in halle. 1382Wyclif Matt. viii. 9 For whi and I am a man..hauynge vndir me kniȝtis. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxx. 133 Prestre Iohn has vnder him many kynges. c1450Holland Howlat 133 For all statis of kirk that wnder Crist standis. 1495Act 11 Hen. VII, c. 22 §1 A maister Ship Carpenter taking the charge of the werke havyng men undre hym. 1538Starkey England i. i. 24 Now also vse your tyme, vnder so nobul a prynce, to the mayntenance..of the same. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. V, 38 While all was vnder one [king], no nacion durste..attempte warre against the Britons. 1639A. Wheelocke in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 157, I could wish that our learned gentrie..would imploy some scholars to be under them..to compile a body of our Divinity. 1726Swift Gulliver iv. iv, In my last voyage I was commander of the ship, and had about fifty Yahoos under me. 1779Mirror No. 4, An uncle of my wife, who..had obtained a very considerable office under government. 1838W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. 168 The society is now under the keeper of the signet. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. i. I. 141 Favourable to the plan of reviving the old civil constitution under a new dynasty.
b. spec. Denoting relation to military commanders or political leaders: Led or commanded by; in the forces or following of.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1332 Vor þe maistrie nis noȝt a kinges..Ac kniȝtes þat vnder him viȝteþ & ssedeþ hor blod. 1564Stapleton tr. Staphylus' Apol. Pref. 11 His wisedom..he well declared..in the like seruice vnder the Catholike and vertuous Duke of Bauaria. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, iv. vii. 154 King. Who seru'st thou vnder? Will. Vnder Captaine Gower. 1612T. Taylor Comm. Titus ii. 6 Let them now serue as voluntaries vnder the Captaine Iesus Christ. 1718Prior Poems Sev. Occas. Ded., In the first Dutch War He went a Voluntier under the Duke of York. 1816Scott Old Mort. xxxvi, I made my first campaigns under him. 1839Penny Cycl. XIV. 347/2 On the 18th May, 1565, the Turks, under Mustapha Pacha,..landed on the island of Malta. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xii. III. 204 He..had fought bravely under Monmouth on the Continent. 1861M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 45 The great communistic uprising under Wat Tyler in 1381.
c. Denoting relation to teachers or instructors: Subject to the instruction, direction, or guidance of.
to sit under (a preacher): see sit v. 30. See also study v. 1 c.
1524Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 200 The said M. Hary..has maid under him gude and perite scolaris now laitlie the tyme that he was maister of our scule. 1691Wood Ath. Oxon. II. 693 His first education in Grammar learning was under one Thom. Sibley. 1711Steele Spect. No. 154 ⁋2, I..had the finishing Part of my Education under a Man of great Probity. 1724H. Bedford tr. Life J. Barwick App. 362 Under this Instructor he learnt the Art of blurting out crude Sermons. 1749Fielding Tom Jones vii. xii, There were likewise two Ensigns,..one of whom had been bred under an Attorney. 1808Scott in Lockhart Life I. i. 43, I made some progress in Ethics under Professor John Bruce. 1837K. H. Digby Mores Cath. viii. vi. (1846) II. 594/2 He studied under Albert at Cologne and Paris. 1900D. C. Tovey in Gray's Lett. I. 3 note, Birkett was the tutor under whom Gray was admitted a Pensioner at Peterhouse.
d. = As a tenant of.
1754in Nairne Peerage Evidence (1874) 51 She lived under said lord Nairn very near his house.
e. = In the hands of (a doctor).
1846S. Magoffin Diary 19 Sept. in Down Santa Fé Trail (1926) 135 He has been under the Doctor for some time. 1898Hutchinson's Arch. Surg. IX. 382, I go once a week to Dr. Brown, but whether I am under him or he is under me I never can quite tell.
f. Mus. = Conducted by.
1887E. Dannreuther tr. Wagner's On Conducting 63 Fancies of this sort, however, were not permitted during the strictly classical performance, under the veteran Capellmeister, at the Munich Odeon. 1910G. B. Shaw How to become a Musical Critic (1960) 278 A performance under Manns of a Mozart symphony. 1943N.Y. Times 9 May ii. 5/5 The City Amateur Symphony Orchestra, under Judge Leopold Prince, will give its annual series of Summer concerts. 1962Listener 12 Apr. 661/2 The BBC Northern Orchestra under Jacques-Louis Monod. 1976Y. Menuhin Unfinished Journey (1977) xvi. 342 During Sir Thomas Beecham's sponsorship of it, I performed the Viotti A Minor Concerto with him—the last time I played under Sir Thomas's baton.
11. a. With names or designations of rulers, passing into the sense of ‘during the reign or administration of’, ‘in the time or period of’.
c888K. ælfred Boeth. i, He þa ᵹemunde..þara ealdrihta þe hi under þam caserum hæfdon. a900O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 653, Her Middel-Seaxe onfengon under Peadan aldormen ryhtne ᵹeleafan. c950Lindisf. Gosp. Luke iv. 27 Moniᵹo hreafo weron..under [Helisaeo] ðæne witᵹo. 1340Ayenb. 12 Þe uerþe article belongeþ to his passion, þet is to zigge, þet he þolede dyaþ onder pouns pilate. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints ii. (Paul) 28 Quhen he come to rome, Wndir fell nero tholit dowme, And ded wes. 1445in Anglia XXVIII. 277 What so evir we loste toforne vndir our princis fele By thi comforte..may soon be yolden ageyn. 1548–9(Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Communion, [He] was crucified also for vs vnder Pontius Pilate. 1565Harding Answ. to M. Ivelles Challenge 41 b, Soter Byshop of Rome..who suffred martyrdom vnder Antoninus Verus the Emperour. 1618Bolton Florus Ep. Ded. A 3 b, An heathen man, and living under Trajan the Emperour. 1756–9Butler Lives of Saints (1821) XI. 105 Bishop Fisher, who was put to death for his religion under Henry VIII. 1807Syd. Smith Lett. Catholics i. ⁋12 There were as many persons put to death for religious opinions under the mild Elizabeth as under the bloody Mary. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 280 The national wealth..was greater under the Tudors than under the Plantagenets. 1891Farrar Darkn. & Dawn xxvi, He would have lost his head under Caligula.
b. Similarly with other nouns.
a1400New Test. (Paues) Heb. vii. 11 For vnder þat presthod þe pepel vnderfong þe lawe. 1641J. Jackson True Evang. T. ii. 89 They are such beasts as while the Law was up,..furnished Gods Altar with Sacrifices, and now under the Gospell, our tables with meate. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. vi. §8 The Prophets under the old Testament, when they speak of things to come to pass in the New. 1688Dryden tr. Life Francis Xavier i. 39 Overjoy'd, that under his Pontificate, a gate shou'd be open'd to the Gospel, in the Oriental Indies. 1807Syd. Smith Lett. Catholics i. ⁋8 Under the reign of his present Majesty. 1826Lamb Popular Fallacy Wks. 1908 I. 368 But who can show it?.. Under what king's reign is it pretended?
12. a. Denoting subjection to power or force exercised by some person or persons: Beneath the rule or domination of; subject to.
a950O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 942, Burᵹa fife..Dæne wæran ær, under Norðmannum nyde ᵹebeᵹde. a1225Leg. Kath. 1092 He is godd seolf, þe duste deað under him. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 9873 Hii..gret raunson him ᵹeue, In þraldom as vnder him þere to bileue. a1340Hampole Psalter xvii. 43 Þou supplantid rysand in me vndire me. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxix. 132 Cristen men schall be vnder þaim. 1517R. Torkington Pilgr. (1884) 63 The havyn of Corfewe, whiche Cite and yle ys vnder the Venycianns. 1526Tindale 1 Cor. xv. 27 It is manifest that he is excepted, which did putt all thynges vnder him. 1610Healey St. Aug. Citie of God 122 What liues the cittizens lastly led, vnder so huge a bed-roll of gods Guardians!
b. under the sea (see quots.).
under the weather (dial. and U.S.): see weather n.
1627Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. ix. 40 When they would lie obscurely in the Sea, or stay for some consort, [they] lash sure the helme a lee, and so a good ship will lie at ease vnder the Sea as wee terme it. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 706 Under the sea, a ship lying-to in a heavy gale, and making bad weather of it.
13. a. With abstract or other ns. denoting authority or control, with or without specification of the person or persons exercising it.
Cf. command n. 3 d. Also in fig. phrases with hand n. 35 a, foot n. 30 c and 33, thumb n. 5 a f, g, eye n.1 6.
(a)c888K. ælfred Boeth. xxxvi. §1 Ðætte æfre swylc yfel ᵹeweorðan sceolde under ðæs ælmihtᵹan Godes anwalde. c910O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 901, Se wæs cyning ofer eall Ongelcyn butan ðæm dæle þe under Dena onwalde wæs. 971Blickl. Hom. 99 Eaþmodᵹiaþ eow sylfe under þære mihte Godes handa. c1175Lamb. Hom. 13 Murðhe sculen wunian on londe þet bið on griðe and on friðe under mire onwalde. c1200Ormin Introd. 35 To ben unnderr deofless þeowwdom. c1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 5884 Prelats..Sal acount yhelde in sere degre Of þair suggets undir þair powere. 1390Gower Conf. I. 18 So that under the clerkes lawe Men sen the Merel al mysdrawe. 1399― Praise of Peace 39 Of all the world to winne the victoire, So that undir his swerd it myht obeie. c1450Merlin xxviii. 576 The xix kynges..comaunded alle hem that were vnther theire Iustice that [etc.]. 1457Harding Chron. in Eng. Hist. Rev. Oct. (1912) 744 Compleyntes of wrong alway in general Refourmed were, so vndyr his yerde egall. 1512Act 4 Hen. VIII, c. 19 §4 Every alien & stranger nott borne under the Kynges allegiance & not made Denyzen. a1533Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. Z 5 b, Thou shalte tourne to be bonde to theim that are nowe under thy bondage. 1667Milton P.L. iii. 242 Under his gloomie power I shall not long Lie vanquisht. 1754A. Murphy Gray's-Inn Jrnl. No. 95, In all Ages the Managers of Play-houses have acquiesced under the Gallery-Jurisdiction. 1781–[see supervision 1]. 1817Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. iii. 412 He proposed that it should no longer act under the orders of that Presidency. 1850Tait's Mag. XVII. 366/1 Banking operations come necessarily under its sphere. 1888Contemp. Rev. July 36 A person who is under the direction of amateurish clerks.
(b)c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. viii. 9 Ic monn amm under mæht. [c1000Ags. Gosp. ibid., Soðlice ic eom man under anwealde.] a1000Colloq. ælfric in Wr.-Wülcker 102 Forðam cild ic eom under gyrda drohtniende. a1300Cursor M. 12117, Þou est vnder [lagh] and þar-in bunden, Bot i am ar þe lagh was funden. c1400Rom. Rose 4923 That he may er he hennes pace Conteyne vndir obedience Thurgh the vertu of pacience. 1565Cooper Thesaurus, Subiugo,..to bryng vnder yoke. 1615Jackson Creed iv. iii. ix. § 1. 348 In the Fort..of the soule, where it hath euery..desire as it were vnder shot, or at..commaund. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 322 To remaine In strictest bondage,..Under th' inevitable curb. 1682Dryden Medal Ep. Whigs, Laws under which we were born. 1784P. Wright New Bk. Martyrs 806/1 He..was at last taken..by three Moss-troopers, under no discipline. 1832H. Martineau Life in Wilds Pref. 3 How the universe was formed and under what rules its movements proceed. 1846Raikes Life of Brenton 125 The Santa Dorothea frigate, then under orders for England. 1890Ld. Esher in Law Times Rep. LXIII. 734/1 Whenever that official acts under the rules ordinarily regulating his duties. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 397 It must be obvious how much the light is under control.
b. With words denoting guidance or direction.
under correction: see correction 1 b.
a1575tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden) I. 108 Thei camen home under the conduite of their lodesmanne Fergusius. 1598Hakluyt Voy. Ep. Ded. ⁋3 As..our skill in Nauigation hath hitherto bene very much bettered..vnder the Admiraltie of your Lordship. 1632–[see conduct n.1 1 β]. a1700in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. (1911) IX. 336 She was both loved & fear'd by those yt had y⊇ happines to be under her conduct. 1711Spect. No. 67 ⁋6 My eldest Daughter..has for some time been under the Tuition of Monsieur Rigadoon. 1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxi, She saw herself at the approach of night under his guidance, among wild and solitary mountains. 1827Faraday Chem. Manip. xxi. 546 Unless this be done by the experimenter, or under his particular directions, it should be left untouched. 1885Law Times 23 May 63/1 A fourth edition..has just appeared under the editorship of Mr. Charles Burney.
c. With words denoting or implying subjection to, or being the subject of, (a) some form of handling or treatment, (b) consideration, trial, or notice.
(a)1535,1659[see hand n. 35 c]. a1670Hacket Abp. Williams ii. (1693) 28 The Subject which is now under the Quill is the Bishop of Lincoln. 1706E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 61 He may with Justice boast, that very few die under his hands. a1719Addison Virg. Georg. Wks. 1721 I. 258 That Poem, which lay so long under Virgil's correction, and had his last hand put to it. 1792Cowper Let. 26 Jan., But no laurels are to be won by sitting patiently under the knife of a surgeon. 1837Disraeli Venetia i. xvi, As the Doctor was under the operation of the barber. 1843Blackw. Mag. LIV. 616, I left him under the hands of his valet. 1884Marshall's Tennis Cuts 234 He is..now under medical treatment.
(b)1652Needham tr. Selden's Mare Cl. 2 As to what concerns the point of Law, this Question falls chiefly under debate. 1664Extr. St. Papers Friends Ser. iii. (1912) 214, I have had them thrice under private examination. 1677Earl of Essex in E. Papers (Camden) II. 112 The throwing ye man overboard, for w[hi]ch ye Master..of the ship will be brought under question. 1737Gentl. Mag. VII. 660/2 Let me next suppose the Payment now under our Consideration to be made to the Bank. 1780Mirror No. 102, It is not the character itself that falls under my observation. 1827Faraday Chem. Manip. xii. 278 Any number of parts by volume of the acid under trial. 1849Tait's Mag. XVI. 163/2 The first judge who comes under our notice is William Fitz-Osborne. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 198 The subject under discussion has nothing to do with chemicals.
d. under the plough, employed as arable land. So under cultivation, under tillage, etc.
1795[see 6 b]. 1805R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 296 Land..under an arable system of cultivation. Ibid. 314 Soils..under tillage. 1833H. Martineau Brooke Farm iv, Lands that have been under the plough for hundreds of years. 1862Ansted Channel Isl. i. iii. (ed. 2) 37 Of this area, about 10,000 acres are under cultivation.
e. under steam, etc. (Cf. 5 c.)
1839Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. II. 475/2 She can scarcely fail to attain an uncommon speed under steam. 1860,1873[see steam n. 7 d]. 1883Law Times Rep. XLIX. 332/1 About to round Blackwall Point under a port helm.
f. Math. With ns. denoting an operation performed.
1901L. E. Dickson Linear Groups ii. xi. 252 G contains..such conjugate cyclic subgroups, all of whose substitutions are conjugate under G. 1940E. T. Bell Devel. Math. xx. 394 The constancy of the cross ratio of four collinear points under projection. 1956E. M. Patterson Topology iv. 84 y0 is the image of xo under the homeomorphism. 1974Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XI. 657/1 A conic has a central projection that is another conic, but some properties are not preserved under projection.
14. a. With words denoting or implying restraint, confinement, or safe keeping.
a900Cynewulf Elene 485 (Gr.), In byrᵹenne [he] bidende wæs under þeosterlocan. a1300–[see lock n.2 1 b]. 13..–[see key n.1 1 b]. c1386–[see arrest n.1 9 b, 10]. 1495Cov. Leet Bk. 569 Þat they be putte vnder suertie fro session vnto session. 1611Florio, Sottogardia, vnder guard, keeping or custody. 1629Wadsworth Pilgr. viii. 90 He left mee alone.., lockt vnder seuen doores. 1645Howell Twelve Treat. (1661) 338 Their faculties have a kind of ubiquitary freedom, though the body be never so under restraint. 1689Sc. Acts Parlt. (1875) XII. 50/2 The petitioner was sent for to be brought to the meeting under a gaurd [sic]. 1737in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. I. 488 While he was Under confinement He liv'd very magnificently. 1799Hull Advertiser 17 Aug. 2/4 No officer could be landed, the ship being under quarantine. 1841Dickens Barn. Rudge 4 Sent under a strong guard to the tower. 1847[see restraint n. 2 d].
b. With words denoting an obligation, compact, or formal engagement: Subject to, bound or constrained (legally or morally) by.
1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 103 Cristin men that ar duelland in the mistrowand menis housis under malis suld be lele to thair malaris. 1538Starkey England i. iv. 115 Certayn landys were gyuen out..to inferyor personys..vnder such condycyon that [etc.]. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 98 b, My Lorde of Winchester..hath subscribed with his awne hande, under the worde of priestehod, to stande at the aduise..of the persones abouesaied. 1626C. Potter tr. Sarpi's Hist. Quarrels 185 He had particular Commandement from the King his Master, to oblige him vnder the Word of a King, to a neere Vnion with the Republique. 1712Steele Spect. No. 362 ⁋1 All who vend Wines should be under oaths in that behalf. 1790Paley Horæ Paul. xi. §1 As he was also under a promise to the church of Philippi to see them. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) IV. 488 A covenant to renew a lease, under the same rent and covenants as those contained in the original lease. 1834Dickens Sk. Boz, Steam Excurs., Mr. Samuel, the eldest, was an attorney, and Mr. Alexander, the youngest, was under articles to his brother. 1848Mrs. Carlyle Lett. (1883) II. 26 This time I am under engagement to go. 1861M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 47 Every master was under an obligation..to keep an iron helmet and harness.
15. a. With reference to physical weight or pressure. (Orig. in literal sense.) Also in fig. context.
a1300Cursor M. 6830 If þou find..Vnder birthin his beist ligand, Help him. a1400New Test. (Paues) 2 Peter ii. 16 He spak not as resonable man, but as a doume beste þat vnder synne was ȝoked. 1591Spenser Ruins of Rome 161 Th' earth vnder her childrens weight did grone. 1611Bible Exod. vi. 6, I will bring you out from vnder the burdens of the Egyptians. 1667Milton P.L. xii. 539 So shall the World goe on,..Under her own waight groaning. 1714Addison Spect. No. 559 ⁋7 They wandered up and down under the Pressure of their several Burthens. 1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxvi, Her reason seemed to totter under the intolerable weight. 1827Faraday Chem. Manip. xv. 374 The glass vessels intended to retain gases under pressure. 1842Loudon Suburban Hort. 346 The health of the tree must decline under the load of..imperfectly nourished fruit. 1891T. Hardy Tess iii, The cradle-rockers,..under the weight of so many children,..were worn nearly flat.
b. With words denoting pains, penalties, or similar consequences: Subject to the risk or certainty of incurring or suffering. Sometimes ellipt.
c1449[see pain n.1 1 b]. 1560[see penalty 2 d]. 1599Sandys Europæ Spec. (1632) 112 Whom they charge under an high degree of mortall sinne and damnation..to appeach even their neerest and dearest friends. 1632Lithgow Trav. ii. 49 Neither may they stay..all night vnder the paine of imprisonment. 1635E. Pagitt Christianogr. i. iii. 56 Vndoubted verities, and to be believed under the Popes curse. 1665in Extr. St. Papers Friends Ser. iii. (1912) 231 [They] shalbe vnder such penalties as the law may inflict vpon them. 1711Steele Spect. No. 66 ⁋5 Under Pain of never having an Husband. 1737Challoner Cath. Chr. Instr. (1753) 123 Which is the Case of all who refuse..to comply with any Part of their Duty, to which they are obliged under mortal Sin. 1756C. Lucas Ess. Waters I. 154 Of these, no subject was permitted to drink under severe penalties. 1820Milner Suppl. Mem. Eng. Cath. App. 305 An obligation..under the guilt of a grievous sin. 1845Lingard Anglo-Saxon Ch. II. ix. 67 He..forbade his sons, under their father's malediction, to molest them.
c. With words denoting something oppressive, distressing, or restrictive of free action: In the condition of suffering from, being afflicted or distressed by, etc.
Cf. the use of OE. under with words meaning ‘grip’ or ‘grasp’. With somewhat weakened force, the sense occurs frequently with certain words, as contribution, difficulty, disadvantage, necessity, sentence.
1382Wyclif Gal. iii. 10 Who euere ben of the workis of lawe, ben vndir curs. 1512Reg. Privy Seal Scotl. I. 365/2 Thai stand now under accusatioun for crime of tresoun. 1569Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 682 [He] ressavit fra ilk ane..the sowme of thre pundis, and yit hes thame under danger of the rest. 1644–[see contribution 1 b]. 1663J. Spencer Prodigies (1665) 335 The more modern Rabbins were under a despair of..equalling the Traditional..Commentators upon their Law. 1688Collier Several Disc. (1725) 369 The Publishers of it..lay under Discountenance and Persecution from the civil Powers. 1711Spect. No. 116 ⁋7 If I was under any Concern, it was on the Account of the poor Hare. Ibid. ⁋8 A noble Soul struggling under innumerable Pains and Distempers. 1750Johnson Rambler No. 6 ⁋6 Those that suffer under the dreadful symptom of canine madness. 1779Mirror No. 8, It was with regret that the Editor found himself under the necessity of abridging the following letter. 1806–7J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life ii. x, If..it may afford you any consolation under the recollection of a calamity so dreadful. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 612 note, Wade was writing under the dread of the halter. 1869Freeman Norm. Conq. III. xiv. 360 Harold was under the ban of Rome.
d. With reference to mental impressions: Possessed, swayed, or affected by.
1667Milton P.L. i. 313 Under amazement of their hideous change. 1683[see mistake n. 2 a]. 1759[see impression 6 b]. 1779Mirror No. 16, A man under the impressions I have described, will be led to look into himself. 1842S. Lover Handy Andy xlvi, That Tom wouldn't hurt a fly, only ‘under a mistake’. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 662 Evidence was produced which proved that Goodenough was also under the influence of personal enmity. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 395 Are you under the impression that they will be better cared for..here? 1885[see misapprehension].
e. ellipt. = Under the influence of.
1884Thompson Tumours of Bladder 95 Some phosphatic deposits, which were removed..under ether. 1889Science-Gossip XXV. 220/1 A fixed oil..is obtained from the seeds by expression under heat. 1892H. Lane Differ. Rheum. Dis. (ed. 2) 72, I have seen these cases frequently treated..under chloroform.
III. In senses implying that one thing is covered by, or included in, another.
16. a. Denoting that a thing is presented or observed in a certain form or aspect.
See also kind n. 13 b, species 2.
a1000Guthlac 682 (Gr.), Eom ic þara twelfa sum, þe he ᵹetreoweste under monnes hiw mode ᵹelufade. c1320Cast. Love 657 Oþer God nis þen he þat..vnder vre wede vre kynde nom. c1450Myrr. our Ladye 189 This hympne ys spoken vnder ful fayre and darke examples. 1561Rastell Confut. Ivelles Serm. (1565) 128 The people receiued under both kindes. 1586in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. (1911) IX. 171 At wch time vi or vii of the said company did communicate..by receaving the sacrament under one kind only. 1659Pearson Creed xii. 780 Life eternall may be looked upon under three considerations; as Initiall, as Partial, and as Perfectional. 1663Bp. Patrick Parab. Pilgr. xxxvii, Bidding him to take great heed lest under the guise of this Humility..he proved unthankful for Gods favours. 1712Addison Spect. No. 419 ⁋7 When the Author represents any Passion, Appetite, Virtue or Vice, under a Visible Shape. 1713― Guard. No. 101, The painter has represented his most Christian Majesty under the figure of Jupiter. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. VIII. 26 Some insects continue under the form of an aurelia not above ten days. 1817Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. vii. 608 Under the ignominious light in which imprisonment is regarded by the Indians. 1870J. H. Newman Gram. Assent ii. viii. 307 We must contemplate the God of our conscience as a Living Being..under the aspect of this or that attribute. 1879E. Waterton Pietas Mariana Brit. 225 The several types under which our Ladye was represented in England.
b. With words implying a specious or deceptive appearance. Also ellipt. = ‘under the pretence of’.
See colour n.1 12 d, cover n. 3 d, covert n. 2 c, guise n. 5 b, pretence n. 3 b, 4, 6, pretext n.1 , semblant n. 2, show n.1 7 c, veil n.1 5.
1607Shakes. Timon iii. iii. 33 Like those that vnder hotte ardent zeale, would set whole Realmes on fire.
c. With suggestion of one thing being hidden or disguised beneath another: Beneath the form, guise, or concealment of.
a1340Hampole Psalter cxxxix. 5 Þe snare is endles pyne, þat þai hid vndire delit of syn. 1382Wyclif Pref. St. Jerome vii. (1850) 70/1 Vndir name of Nynyue, [he] tellith helthe to Gentils. c1400Destr. Troy 11489 He thoght his falshed to feyne, vndur faire wordes. 1592Kyd Sp. Trag. iii. x. 22 Vnder fained iest Are things concealde that els would breed vnrest. 1723Pres. St. Russia II. 46 The Vagulitzes..have their own Language, and worship the Devil under their Idols. 1779Mirror No. 27, A..friend of mine, whose real name I shall conceal under that of Wentworth. 1854A. Jameson Commonpl. Bk. (1877) 1 Extreme vanity sometimes hides under the garb of ultra modesty. 1857Pusey Doctr. Real Presence i. 156 A sacramental invisible presence of the Body and Blood of Christ, under the Bread and Wine.
d. under the name (etc.) of, = by the name of. (See name n. 13.)
1641–2Laud Diary 20 Feb., There came a tall man to me, under the name of Mr. Hunt. 1662Extr. St. Papers Friends Ser. ii. (1911) 150 Seuerall Persons who are under the names of Quakers and other names of separacion now in the Goales of London and Middlesex. 1744Berkeley Siris §268 The Egyptians..had..even deified her under the name of Isis. 1780Mirror No. 80, The authors of those little essays which appear in the learned world under the title of Advertisements. 1817Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. ix. 704 Under the stile and title of a commutation, an additional window tax..was imposed. 1843Pereira Food & Diet 120 Hard confectionary, sold under the names of Lozenges, Brilliants, Pipe, Rock, Comfits, Nonpareils. 1876Beneden's Anim. Parasites 75 Naturalists had recognized some crustaceans under the name of Ancei.
†e. = In (a manner or fashion). Obs. rare.
1523in Gentl. Mag. (1785) ii. 939/1 I..dyd christen the same childe under this manner. 1532Tindale Exp. Matt. v. (1550) 22 With greate payne they can suffry their grosse synnes to be rebuked vnder a fassion, as in a parable.
17. a. Denoting inclusion in a group, category, class, etc. † under (them) all, in all, altogether.
c960æthelwold Rule St. Benet xvii. (Schröer) 40 ælc [psalm] on sundron and nan under anum gloria. a1225Ancr. R. 222 Þe oðer, & te ueorðe [temptation], ualleð under þe uttre. c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 59/176 [Francis, Giles, and Bernard] and sethþe oþur þreo, So þat vnder heom alle sixe freres to-gadere weren i-brouȝt. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6998 Þe king..ȝef al so Tueie gode maners sein swithin þer to, Þat wolde be tuenty vnder al. 1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 352 margin, Under that word: lightening, thunder,..mysts, fogges, earthquakes, &c. are to be understoode. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iv. iii. 115 b, The Persians..whiche went vnder the armie of Darius. 1635E. Pagitt Christianogr. i. ii. (1636) 43 Under these eight provinces all France is conteined. a1662Heylyn Cosmogr. iii. (1674) 173/2 Principal Cities of the whole at this present time under the notion of Cathay, are [etc.]. 1676Office Clerk of Assize F iij, They shall speak without Oath unless the Fact be under Felony. 1711Addison Spect. No. 21 ⁋2 The rest are comprehended under the Subalterns. 1756P. Browne Jamaica p. xxxiii, I have..distributed the species under their proper genera. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. §291 The fitting or adapting the parts of matter together, comes under no calculation in point of time. 1853Our Coal-Fields & Coal-Pits 221 Many matters which would come under this head have already been incidentally mentioned. 1885Times 6 Apr. 7 The owners of travelling booths and circuses come strictly under the class.
b. Denoting occurrence in a particular section or article of a literary work.
1589Hakluyt Voy. To Rdr. ⁋6 Vnder this title thou shalt first finde the old northerne Nauigations of our Brittish Kings. 1728Chambers Cycl. s.v. Substraction, Write the less Number under the greater,..as we have directed under Addition. 1783Encycl. Brit. (ed. 2) X. 8307/2 Under the article Natural History, Sect. I. it is observed, that [etc.]. 1823Scoresby Jrnl. 280 The day of the present voyage under which these remarks are introduced. 1846Penny Cycl. Suppl. II. 431 As explained under House,..it is frequently necessary [etc.]. 1879E. Waterton Pietas Mariana Brit. 221 As I have mentioned in the Series under Stowe.
c. under one, in one, united(ly), conjointly, together, at one time. Obs. exc. dial.
Cf. Du. ondereen, together, pell-mell.
1596Nashe Saffron Walden Ep. Ded. B ij b, And so [I] leave them..outright to hang, draw, and quarter them al vnder one. 1611Cotgr. s.v. Chemin, Tout d'un chemin, all vnder one. 1642D. Rogers Naaman 170 So that he seeks his owne and his Masters advantage both under one. a1667C. Hoole School-Colloquies (1688) 105 Come, I pray you, and you shall sup with us all under one. 1839–in Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v. Under 2.
d. Of figures or angles in relation to the lines determining their size.
1570Billingsley Euclid ii. def. i. 61 Rectangle parallelogrames which are comprehended vnder equal lines are equal the one to the other. 1660Barrow Euclid i. prop. xlviii, The angle comprehended under those two other sides of the triangle. 1764[see comprehend v. 10]. 1798Hutton Course Math. II. 124 The rectangles under the sum and difference of the ordinates. 1854Tomlinson Arago's Astron. 167 The angle under which we see objects.
18. With words denoting protection, care, or benevolent interest.
See also auspice 3, protection 1 b. To this sense may be assigned the apologetic phrases under favour (favour n. 3 a), under leave, under pardon.
971Blickl. Hom. 41 Ne þurfon ᵹe wenan þæt ᵹe þæt orceape sellon, þæt ᵹe under Drihtnes borh syllaþ. c1230Hali Meid. 7 Se seli sikernesse as ha was in, & mahte beon under Godes warde. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints iii. (Andrew) 943 Vndir ȝour proteccione to luf in contemplacione. c1400[see care n.1 4]. 1470–85[see safe-conduct n. 1]. 1550Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 84 Thair is diverse assurit personis..sittis under assurance duelland within the boundes of the Merse. 1596Edward III, v. i. 111 Vnder safe conduct of the Dolphins seale. 1692E. Walker tr. Epictetus' Mor. xxxvii, Methinks they've given enough, in that you live Under their prudent Care. 1711Addison Spect. No. 106 ⁋4 My worthy Friend has put me under the particular Care of his Butler. 1768[W. Donaldson] Life Sir B. Sapskull I. x. 105 To..institute an independant academy, under the auspices of that great name. 1803Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) I. xi. 392 The mode of telling the story approved by the French minstrel, under the authority of his Tomas. 1844Mrs. Browning Drama of Exile 32, I hold that Eden is impregnable Under thy keeping. 1866[see patronage 3]. 1885Law Rep. 14 Q.B.D. 867 Even if the plaintiff succeeds the action may have been defended under good advice.
19. a. Denoting a state or condition (frequently one imposed by implied circumstances).
In later use common with circumstances (see circumstance n. 4) and conditions. In parenthetical phrases, as under these circumstances, the sense passes into ‘having regard to’, ‘taking account of’. For under way or weigh see the ns.
c1200Ormin Ded. 9 Þurrh þatt witt hafenn takenn ba An reȝhellboc to follȝhenn, Unnderr kanunnkess had & lif. Ibid. 10530 Unnderr Crisstenndom, & unnderr læfe o Criste. c1205Lay. 395 Assaracus heuede enne broþer, Þe wes under wedlac iboren. 1428Munim. de Melros (Bann. Cl.) 519, I wes requerit..for to wytnes vnder wryt þe thyng at wes determynyt befor me in iugement. 1490Caxton Eneydos xxvi. 93 Thou haste deliuerde me my traytour & peruerse enmye, vnder hope of loue & benyuolence. 1564Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 276 James Barry..quha allegeit him to be undir the King of Denmarkis wageis. 1581Rich Farew. (1846) 58 She beyng under covert barne, your obligation is unpleadable. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. v. §1 A meer seducer was to be stoned to death under sufficient testimony. 1668Pepys Diary 7 July, Because of Fleet Bridge being under rebuilding. 1689in Sc. Acts Parlt. (1875) XII. 76/1 Such persones as he hes already put under baile. 1712Addison Spect. No. 349 ⁋7 He died under a fixed and settled Hope of Immortality. 1720Welton Suffer. Son of God I. viii. 200 All things here are under a perpetual vicissitude and alteration. 1780M. Madan Thelyph. II. 61 Augustus rejected the testament of a man who died under a state of celibacy. 1817Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. vii. 607 He knew, under the sentiments which prevailed at home, by what a slender and precarious tenure he enjoyed his place. 1855Bain Senses & Int. ii. i. §11 The physical state of a muscle under contraction may be inferred from the details already given. 1884Dunckley in Manch. Exam. 26 May 6/2 Under the ballot it is as easy to vote as to pay a morning call.
b. under trust, in a state of supposed safety. Obs. exc. arch.
1545in Tytler Hist. Scot. (1864) II. 349 The Lord Maclanis fader was cruellie murdressit under traist, in his bed. 1589R. Robinson Gold. Mirr. (1851) 5 Then Mischief calde for treason vndertrust; Helpe now (quoth he) or els I am o'rethrowen. 1609,1818[see trust n. 5 a].
20. a. Denoting participation in the authoritative or confirmatory effect of a seal, signature, etc.: Authorized, warranted, or attested by.
See also hand n. 35 d, seal n.2 1 c, signet n. 2, 3, sign-manual 1.
1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 288 He kept his castels, his vitaile, his mone, Undere þe kyng seales. a1400–50Alexander 1845, I send to ȝowe my sawe vndir my sele wreten. 1417[see signet n. 3]. 1460in Rec. City of Norwich (1910) II. 94 If þe cloth be tokened and founde defauty under þe tokene. 1471K. Edw. IV in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., Var. Coll. IV. 209 Yeven undir oure signet at oure Paleis of Westminster the xixth day of December. 1546Langley tr. Pol. Verg. de Invent. vii. iv. 135 b, Gregorie the nynth..canonised Dominicke, and by his Bulle vnder Lead, allowed him for a sainct. 1551in Feuillerat Revels Edw. VI (1914) 62 A warrante vnder the kinges Maiesties owne handes. 1592in J. Morris Troub. Cath. Forefathers (1877) 23 And this averred by writing under all or most of his neighbours' hands. 1613Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 215 The bill of diuorce is..deliuered to the woman before three credible witnesses, vnder their hands and seales. 1687Assur. Abby Lands 120 Altho' we have empowered thee..by divers of our Letters, as well made under-Lead as in the Form of Breves. 1765–8[see signature n. 1]. 1838W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. 889 Under this seal commissions of tutory, gifts of bastardy,..are passed.
†b. under (the) name of, = in the name of. (See name n. 11 c.) Obs.
1445tr. Claudian in Anglia XXVIII. 265 His shrewde seruauntis..Pretendyng evir the Kyngis title..vndir his name þe wrongid. 1535Coverdale Zech. xiii. 3 Thou shalt dye, for thou speakest lyes vnder the name off the Lorde. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. x. 12 b, [He] coyned money vnder his name. 1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. iii. 12 He does it vnder name of perfect loue.
c. Implying a statement or suggestion as to the authorship of a work.
1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. i. §3 Who would ever undertake to prove..that Euclide was the undoubted Author of the Geometry under his name? 1712P. Metcalfe Life St. Winefride (1917) 5 Altho' the mention'd Author publish'd his Tomes under the Borrow'd Names of Alford, alias Griffith. 1802M. Edgeworth Moral T., Forester xvi, Our hero..inserted his compositions, under a fictitious signature, in his master's newspaper.
d. = In accordance with (some regulative power or principle).
1779Ann. Reg., Chron. 216/2 Numbers of them had been long supersedable, or intitled to their discharges under insolvent acts. 1867Froude Short Stud. Ser. i. I. 47 Under this edict.. more than fifty thousand human beings..were deliberately murdered. 1874Nairne Peerage Evidence 169 That is the lady who was examined under a commission from this House? 1884Manch. Exam. 16 Feb. 4/6 The first contested county election under the provisions of the Corrupt Practices Act.
IV. In senses which imply falling below a certain standard or level.
21. a. Beneath or below in point of worth or dignity.
c888K. ælfred Boeth. xxxiii. §5 Under hire selfre hio bið þonne, ðonne hio lufað þas eorðlican þing. Ibid. xxxvii. §4 Hiora yfelnes awirpð hi under þa menniscan ᵹecynd. a1340Hampole Ps. xvii. 40 Til þa þat ere vndire me, þat is, ill men vndire me in merit bifor god. 1548Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Matt. 100 b, This they thought a goodly prayse, although that it was farre vnder his maiestie. 1598R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. iii. i. 63 Tiberius and Augusta abstained from mourning in publicke: iudging it a thing vnder their maiestie.
b. Below the rank, standing, or level of.
1610B. Jonson Alch. ii. vi, No, sir, shee'll neuer marry Vnder a knight. 1632Massinger & Field Fatal Dowry iv. i, Fight with Romont? No, I'll not fight under a lord. 1650Fuller Pisgah iv. vii. 123 Nothing under an Infinite can expleat and satiate the immortall minde of man. 1711Addison Spect. No. 122 ⁋9 It was too great an Honour for any Man under a Duke. 1822Lamb Elia i. Distant Correspondents, No person, under a diviner, can..conduct a correspondence at such arm's length. 1847L. Hunt Men, Women, & B. II. vii. 96 He uttered nothing under a gentility or a dulcitude.
22. a. Below, less, or fewer than (a specified number or amount).
c1380Wyclif Last Age Ch. (1840) 30 Þat we ben undir þe hundrid ȝeere of .x. lettre I schewe schortly by Bede. 1530Tindale Pract. Prelates H iij, The Emperours host was vnder xx. thousande. 1557North Gueuara's Diall Pr. ii. xi. 95 b, There was a lawe amongeste them, that no man should marye under three wiues. 1590Sir J. Smyth Disc. Weapons 6 b, In case they should compose smaller bands of 300 to an Ensigne, or vnder that number. 1601R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 154 They receiue, some 1000. some 80. rubles a yeare, none vnder 70. 1664P. Henry Diaries & Lett. (1882) 155 That interdict lasted under 5. yeares. 1699R. L'Estrange Erasm. Colloq. (1725) 174 Sometimes ten, sometimes twelve, but never under six. 1745H. Walpole Lett. (1857) I. 406 Repeated accounts make them under five thousand. 1800Wordsw. Andrew Jones 28 Under half a⁓crown, What a man finds is all his own. 1832Macaulay in Trevelyan Life (1876) I. 287 The voters are under 4,000 in number. 1855― Hist. Eng. iv. IV. 624 The weight..proved to be under one hundred and fourteen thousand ounces.
b. Below, not having attained to (a specified age).
c1400Mandeville (1839) xxvii. 278 The faireste Damyseles, that myghte ben founde undir the Age of 15 Zere. 1565Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Minor, Vnder .xxv. yeres of age. 1570–4Bp. Cox Injunct. in 2nd Rep. Ritual Comm. (1868) 406/2 Their chyldren and seruauntes..beyng of sixe yeres of age, and vnder twentie. 1658Harrington Prerog. Pop. Govt. Wks. (1700) 335 It is provided..that no man under thirty years of Age be capable of Magistracy. 1692O. Walker Grk. & Rom. Hist. 9 Then was Augustus under nineteen years old. 1729Jacob Law Dict., Nonage,..is all the Time of a Person's being under the Age of One and twenty; and, in a special Sense, where one is under Fourteen, as to Marriage, &c. 1825T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. II. 247 He is under fifty-seven. 1885Law Rep. 10 P.D. 189 Till their only child should attain twenty-one, or die under that age.
(b) Hence prefixed to a number and used as a n. pl. (usu. with the) to denote the class of persons who have not yet attained that particular age. Cf. over- 13 b.
1937E. Garnett Family from One End Street v. 98 John was hopping along..in a sack race for ‘under tens’. 1939E. R. Boyce Infant School Activities 201 As much provision as possible should be made for the sort of period suggested for the ‘under-fives’. 1941[see cross-sectional a.]. 1953K. Tennant Joyful Condemned xii. 100 He added her to the other two under-sixteens, Else and Violet. 1968Catholic Herald 15 Mar. 12/5 The Cenacle, Grayshott... Retreat for the Under Thirties. 1973M. Amis Rachel Papers 153 But then, you see, we did the sort of lyrically zany thing that the under-twenties do fairly often.
c. At or for a less sum or lower price than (that specified).
c1430Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 107 ‘Thou scapst not here,’ quod he, ‘under ij. pence’. 1496Act 12 Hen. VII, c. 6 They be sold far under the Price that they be worth. 1583Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. M i, You will not sell a sermon vnder a roiall, or a noble. 1592Arden of Feversham ii. ii. 76 But, were my consent to giue againe, we would not do it vnder ten pound more. 1712Steele Spect. No. 362 ⁋1 They can have no advice for him under a Guinea. 1733Tull Horse-Hoeing Husb. 142 note, Wheat was under Three Shillings a Bushel. 1831James Phil. Augustus III. i, I should suppose they would never free a knight of his renown under a ransom of ten thousand crowns.
d. In less time than (that specified).
1632J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 114 Great Fleets, which cannot be rigg'd under a great deale of time. 1639W. Mountagu in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 280 We..can get none, neither can any be made under three weeks' time. 1711Addison Spect. No. 102 ⁋4 Flirts and Vibrations [of the fan]..that are seldom learned under a Month's Practice. 1726Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 29 Cato advises to dig the Stone in Summer.., and not to use it under two Years. 1728Fielding Love in Sev. Masques i. v, I shall hardly reduce it to any tolerable consistency under a fortnight's course of acids.
e. With less than; of less size, depth, etc., than.
1570Foxe A. & M. (ed. 2) I. 321/2 For commonly he neuer rode vnder a 1500 horses of Chaplaynes, Priestes, and other seruyng men waytyng vpon hym. 1702Eng. Theophrast. 15 They will scarce believe that two and two make four, under a demonstration from Euclid. 1719–20Swift To Yng. Clergym. Wks. 1727 II. ii. 12, I remember several young men in this town, who could never leave the pulpit under half a dozen conceits. 1795Act 35 Geo. III, c. 20 Sch. A, Ufers..under eight Inches square. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Hand-lead, a small lead..for sounding in rivers or harbours under 20 fathoms. 1883Rep. Channel Tunnel Comm. App. Case li. 546 Barbarous orders..to sink every Spanish ship under 100 tons.
f. ellipt., esp. in and under, or under, placed after statements of size, price, etc.
1482in Eng. Hist. Rev. XXV. 122 The firste and leeste soorte is of vj. ynchesse in lenghte and vndre. 1495Act 11 Hen. VII, c. 61 §1 To lette and demyse fermes ther for the terme of vij yere and undir. 1526Tindal Matt. ii. 16 All the chyldren,..as many as were two yere old and vnder. 1576Act 18 Eliz. c. 6 In good Wheate after vjs. viijd. the Quarter or under. c1580in Eng. Hist. Rev. July (1914) 521 Yf you will by 100 Ballettes of woade together they will asshewre it to be good; yf you by under you shall bye it at your owne adventure. 1644G. Plattes in Hartlib's Legacy (1655) 211 When Barley is at two shillings the bushel, or under. 1670in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. V. 15 Courser [hangings]..your Honour may be served with from Flanders, att 18s. per stick or under. 1708Lond. Gaz. No. 4422/7 The Commodore appear'd to be a Ship of 50 Guns,..and the rest of 20 and under. 1797Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XVII. 432/1 Courses and topsails..for 44 gun ships and under. 1803Beddoes Hygeia xi. 40 Dr. C...estimates the infecting distance of patients in the plague at a foot or under. 1911Jacques in 36th Prov. Meeting Law Soc. 263 Leaving property worth only {pstlg}500 or under.
23. a. under age (or † under years), below the (legal) age of majority.
1590Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 64 Three sonnes he dying left, all vnder age. 1603G. Owen Pembrokeshire (1892) 22 William, who was then onder age. 1617Moryson Itin. i. 274 The Lords of Eriskin..vse to haue the keeping of the Prince of Scotland, being vnder yeeres. 1632Sherwood, Under-yeares, mineur, en bas age. 1765–8Erskine Inst. Law Scot. i. vii. §1 But minority..includes all under age, whether pupils or puberes. 1821Keats Cap & Bells xxi, This was his page,..Sent as a present, while yet under age, From the Viceroy of Zanguebar. 1843Jarman Wills (1881) I. xiv. 446 Under the old law..personalty was..disposable by the will of a person under age.
b. Below (a certain standard).
See also mark n.1 12 c, par n.1 3 b, proof n. 11.
1615W. Lawson Country Housew. Gard. (1623) 30 Your graffe..will grow but to small purpose,..and lightly it will be vnder growth. 1661Walton Angler (ed. 3) ii. 52 So many Nets and Fish, that are under the Statute size. 1748[see proof n. 11]. 1799Coleridge Lett. (1895) 271 The frost..was 20 degrees under the freezing point. 1825J. Neal Bro. Jonathan I. 364 Poor fatty! you know he's rather under par. 1857Miller Elem. Chem., Org. 121 If the spirit burned off and left the powder damp, it was considered under proof. 1875E. C. Stedman Victorian Poets 275 The statement of Bulwer's preface is under the truth.
c. under (one's) breath, in a low voice, in a whisper.
1832[see breath n. 9 b]. 1883Whitelaw Sophocles, Oedipus Col. 489 Pray, under breath, not lifting up thy voice. 1898‘Merriman’ Roden's Corner xv. 155 ‘Oh, hang!’ she added,..under her breath.
V.
†24. Among. Obs. rare.
c893K. ælfred Oros. iv. x. 196 Þa ne mehton þa senatus nænne consul under him findan þe dorste on Ispanie..ᵹefaran. c1205Lay. 915 Wet speke ȝe kempen vnder eou alle?
†25.
a. During; in the time of. Obs.
Also Sc. † under ane time, at the same time.
c893K. ælfred Oros. i. x. 46 Þa under þæm ᵹewinne hie ᵹenamon friþ wið þa wæpnedmen. 971Blickl. Hom. 35 Þæt we sceolan under þæm feowertiᵹeoþan ᵹerime..syllan þone teoþan dæl ure worldspeda. c1205Lay. 32028 Vnder þissen uare-coste he sumnede ferde of alle þane monne þat he bi-ȝeten mihte. c1425Eng. Conq. Ireland 8 Vnder that tyme, Robert Steunes-son hym dyght to wend in-to Irland. 1533Bellenden Livy i. ix. (S.T.S.) I. 51 Legatis war send on athir side vnder ane tyme desiring redres of all displeseris. 1597J. Payne Royal Exch. 5 Now ys the tyme vnder lyfe to help one another; but when..breathe ys gon, neyther angells nor Apostles can geve any help. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. vi. §8 Not that these things should really be under Gospell times. a1670Spalding Troub. Chas. I (1851) II. 396 Wnder speiking this Williame Forbes schootis the gentilman with ane pistoll deid.
†b. With demonstrative pronouns: During this or that time; meantime, meanwhile. Obs.
c893K. ælfred Oros. ii. ii. 66 He..him ᵹehet ðæt he his rice wið hiene dælan wolde, & hiene under ðæm ofsloᵹ. a900O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 876, Hie þa under þam hie nihtes bestælon..into Escanceaster. a1122Ibid. (Laud MS.) an. 1046, Ða wearð hit under þam þet þam cynge com word [etc.]. c1205Lay. 6433 Wnder þon hær com tidinde. Ibid. 9660 Vnder þan comen tiðende. a1225Leg. Kath. 1858 Under þis com þe þurs Maxence..aȝein to his kineburh. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 2503 Þer come out of germaynie vnder þat..ssipes eiȝtetene. a1300Floriz & Bl. 635 The children awoken under thon.
▪ V. under, adv.|ˈʌndə(r)|
Forms: 1– under, 3–7 vnder (6 Sc. wnder), 4–5 vndyr, 5 vn-, undir, -dre, undur, owndir.
[OE. under, = OS. undar etc.: see prec.]
1. a. Below, down below, beneath.
Beowulf 1417 Wæter under stod, dreoriᵹ and ᵹedrefed. Ibid. 2213 Stiᵹ under læᵹ eldum uncuð. a900O.E. Martyrol. 5 May 76 Se dæl þære ciricean..þær þæs hælendes fotlastas sindon under. c1000ælfric Saints' Lives iv. 393 He..het þa..fyr under betan. c1250Gen. & Ex. 3188 Moyses it folwede ðider it flet, And stod ðor ðe graue under let [= lay]. 13..Cursor M. 377 (Gött.), He wroȝt..þe sky..wid watir schinand als cristall, þat es on hey, þat es vnder. 1390Gower Conf. I. 173 And under al aboute he seth The faire lusti floures springe. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) iv. 12 Men may see þare þe erthe of þe toumbe..stirre and moue, as þer ware a qwikke thing vnder. 1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 241 Yf the lyght mettis vndyr be, whan hit is defiet. 1535Coverdale Gen. xlix. 25 Helped..with blessynges of heauen from aboue, with blessinges of y⊇ depe yt lyeth vnder. 1591Spenser Vis. World's Vanity 65 A sword-fish..in his throat him pricking softly vnder. 1648Crashaw Poems (1904) 152 Storme and Thunder Would sit under, And keepe silence round about thee. 1819W. Tennant Papistry Storm'd (1827) 48 At anes the bells baith up and under Begoud to rattle on like thunder. 1820Shelley The Cloud 10, I wield the flail of the lashing hail, And whiten the green plains under.
b. With verbs expressing or implying movement.
† to look under, to look down (look v. 44).
a1120O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1083, Þa wreccan munecas laᵹon onbuton þam weofode & sume crupon under. c1400Destr. Troy 1297 Þen the Troiens..Gird euyn to the Grekes with a grym fare,..Wondit of þe wightist, warpide hom vnder. 1539Bible 1 Kings xviii. 23 Let them.. laye hym on wodd, and put no fyre vnder. 1608Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iv. Schism 1012 Like as a Roach, or Ruff, or Gudgeon..Frisks to and fro, aloft and under dives. 1818Byron Juan i. cliii, There is the closet, there the toilet, there The antechamber—search them under, over. 1846A. Soyer Cookery 176 Saw the rib bones asunder in the middle; pass your knife under.
2. In special senses:
a. Beneath the rider.
c1100O.E. Chron. (MS. D) an. 1079, His hors wearð under of-scoten.
b. Lower down on a page, etc.
Chiefly in combs., as under-mentioned, under-named, under-specified; cf. also hereunder adv. † to seal under: see seal v.1 4.
c1362[see underwritten ppl. a.]. 1474Cov. Leet Bk. 390 These ben the names vnder folowyng of the Collectours. 1786Burns Inventory 74 This list,..I wrote it, Day an' date as under notit. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 257, I have designed a slide as under.
c. Below the garments; on the inner side of a garment.
c1400Brut clxxviii. 199 He..smote him wyþ a knyf; but þe false traitoure was armed vnder, so þat þe stroke myght done him none harme. 1457Sc. Acts Jas. II, c. 13 Þat na woman weir..talys of vnsittande lenthe nor furryt vnder bot on þe haliday.
d. Of the sun, etc.: Below the horizon; set.
c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon i. 46 Nyghe was the sonne vnder, and it was well aboute complyn tyme. Ibid. xiv. 346 Whan reynawd sawe all redy that y⊇ sonne was goon vndre, & that the nyght cam fast on. 1609Skene Reg. Maj. 104 He may cast the Proces, saying, that..it was made vnlawfullie vnder Sunne. 1850R. G. Cumming Hunter's Life S. Afr. (1902) 93/2 The sun was under before I laid him low. Ibid. 118/2 The moon was now under, and it was very dark. 1859Meredith R. Feverel xxxiv, The sun was under.
e. Under water; submerged.
1830–1873 [see gunwale b]. 1890Cent. Dict. s.v. Rail, The vessel sailed rail under.
f. down under, in the Antipodes.
1899Westm. Gaz. 1 June 5/1 He had once made 74 for Australia against England ‘down under’.
3. a. Into a position or state of subjection or submission. (See also bring v. 26, get v. 79.)
c1250Gen. & Ex. 4041 Of ðe sal risen..a wond ðe sal smiten riȝt Moab kinges, and under don Al sedes kin ðis werld up-on. a1300K. Horne 1420 (Camb.), To schupe we mote draȝe; Fikenhild me haþ i-don vnder. 1390Gower Conf. I. 5 Love, which doth many a wonder And many a wys man hath put under. Ibid. 117, I that lawe obeie Of which the kinges ben put under. 1509Hawes Past. Pleas. vi. (Percy Soc.) 26 It is alwaye at mannes pleasaunce To take the good and caste the evyll under. 1567J. Maplet Gr. Forest 1 Wherefore the Greekes call it Fickleforce, for that it can not be brought under. 1646Drummond of Hawthornden Answ. to Objections Wks. (1711) 214 We are not brought to such a Nonplus, and so under,..but that we dare both say and maintain, They proceed unjustly with us. 1723Lockhart Papers (1817) II. 112 Both the contending partys did desire to promote unity and peace, provyded their opponents would knock under. 1791Ann. Reg., Chron. 4* The fire was got under. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xxix, I've begun now to bring them under. 1882[see knuckle v. 2].
b. In subjection or submission; in a subordinate or inferior position.
13..K. Alis. 3054 (Laud MS.), For no power, ne for no wonder, Ȝitt ne weren we neuer vnder. c1460Oseney Reg. 19 Know he hym-selfe gilty,..And be he vndur to þe streyte veniaunce in þe last dome. 1463G. Ashby Prisoner's Refl. 292 The ryche slepeth, the pore laboreth vnder. 1480Robt. Devyll 341 Nowe the people dyd wonder To se that all knyghtes to hym wer vnder. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 330 Why should we then be so kept vnder lyke beastes and slaues? 1598R. Bernard tr. Terence, Andria i. i, How couldst thou know his nature,..whilst.. awe and his master kept him vnder? 1611Bible 1 Cor. ix. 27 But I keepe vnder my body, and bring it into subiection. 1647N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. xvii. 54 The new stemme of Kingly power..sucked much from them, and kept them under. a1700Evelyn Diary 15 Aug. 1687, The King keeps them under by an army of 40,000 men.
c. to go under: see go v. 95.
d. In a state of unconsciousness; below the level of consciousness; spec. under anaesthetic, in a trance. Also, under the influence of alcohol. colloq.
a1936‘G. Orwell’ Shooting Elephant (1950) 28 Doctors..thinking it funny to start operating before you were properly ‘under’. 1946K. Tennant Lost Haven (1947) xix. 332 Well, one night when I was down at the pub, this cove..is beside me and he's well under. 1960M. Spark Bachelors vii. 98 He attempted to question me while I was under the other night. 1979D. Anthony Long Hard Cure xxvii. 207, I..stretched out on my bed, and let the music take me under.
4. With preps.
†a. at under, in an inferior place or position; in subjection. Sc. Obs.
1375Barbour Bruce vii. 365 For he ves put at vndir swa, That he ves left all hym allane. c1425Wyntoun Cron. v. x. 2396 Dycius..held þaim euer at vnder ay. 1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 36 Sum men wenis to be at outhe and abune that is at undir. 1500–20Dunbar Poems l. 23 He hes att warslingis beine ane hunder, Ȝett lay his body nevir at wnder. 1573J. Tyrie in Cath. Tract. (S.T.S.) 3 Sufficient to put at vnder the euill foundet fortres my aduersar hes builded. 1652Urquhart Jewel 197 The cruelty of whose perverse zeal, will keep the effects of his vertue still at under. 1677Gilpin Dæmonol. (1867) 153 They kept them at under, as captives in a dungeon.
b. from under, from below.
1535Coverdale Amos ii. 9, I destroyed his frute from aboue, and his rote from vnder. 1611Bible Ezek. xlvii. 1 The waters came downe from vnder from the right side of the house.
c. to get out (stand, etc.) from under, to escape or get away from a dangerous or awkward situation. colloq. (orig. U.S.).
[1857Chicago Times 6 Oct., To enable me to stand from under the present crash, I shall offer my entire stock for the next 30 days at a great sacrifice.] 1861Cincinnati (Ohio) Commercial 24 Apr. (heading) Stand from under. 1875Scribner's Monthly Nov. 124/2 The system is rotten..and, if the nation cares for its life, the quicker it gets ‘out from under’ the better. 1916Lit. Digest (N.Y.) 8 Jan. 88/2 The next to ‘get from under’. 1916‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin iii. 35 Shouts of ‘stand from under!’ and empty bags came from the deck above. 1938New Statesman 20 Aug. 298/2 The extension of anti-Semitic persecution in the business field [in Germany] has probably led to a certain amount of ‘getting out from under’ sales by Jews. 1951H. McCloy Alias Basil Willing xiv. 178 I'll get out from under by going to the police myself before anyone else. 1966‘H. Calvin’ Italian Gadget ix. 143 Maybe you'll come some day... If I ever get from under Count Capucci. 1974‘J. Ross’ Burning of Billy Toober xvi. 157 I'll buy you a dinner when I get out from under.
5. Less in amount, etc.; lower in price.
1574W. Bourne Regiment for Sea ii. (1577) 9 b, The Epacte sheweth the age of the Moone or chaunge day, within 12 houres under or over. 1632Lithgow Trav. iv. 137 The price of a virgin was too deare for him,..and widdows were farre vnder.
6. under and over, a gambling game with dice.
1890Newcastle Even. Chron. 26 Dec. 3/1 Fined..on a charge of playing ‘under and over’ with the dice and box.
▪ VI. † ˈunder, v. Obs.—1
[f. under adv.]
trans. To cast down, depress.
1502W. Atkynson tr. De Imitatione iii. xxxviii. 227 As longe as the symple entent of his soule amonge all suche varyacyons is nat vndered, but dyrecte to me contynually. |