underlie: Meaning and Definition of
un•der•lie
Pronunciation: (un"dur-lī'), [key]
— -lay, -lain, -ly•ing.
- to lie under or beneath; be situated under.
- to be at the basis of; form the foundation of.
- to function as the root morpheme or original or basic form of (a derived form): The form “boy” underlies “boyish.”
- to be primary to another right or security.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.