English Online Dictionary. What means underground? What does underground mean?
English
Etymology
From Middle English undergrounde (adverb), equivalent to under + ground or under- + ground. Compare Dutch ondergrond, ondergronds, German Untergrund, Danish undergrunds.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌʌndəˈɡɹaʊnd/, (especially for the noun) /ˈʌndəɡɹaʊnd/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˌʌndɚˈɡɹaʊnd/, (especially for the noun) /ˈʌndɚɡɹaʊnd/
- Rhymes: -aʊnd
- Hyphenation: un‧der‧ground
Adjective
underground (comparative more underground, superlative most underground)
- (not comparable) Below the ground; below the surface of the Earth.
- Synonyms: subterranean, hypogean
- (figurative) Hidden, furtive, secretive.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:hidden, Thesaurus:covert
- (of music, art etc.) Outside the mainstream, especially unofficial and hidden from the authorities.
- Synonyms: unconventional, alternative
- Antonym: mainstream
Derived terms
Translations
Adverb
underground (comparative more underground, superlative most underground)
- Below the ground.
- Synonym: below ground
- Secretly.
- Synonyms: clandestinely, in secret, on the quiet
Translations
Noun
underground (plural undergrounds)
- (geography) Regions beneath the surface of the earth, both natural (eg. caves) and man-made (eg. mines).
- (chiefly British) Synonym of subway: a railway that is under the ground.
- Synonym: underground railway
- (with definite article) A movement or organisation of people who resist political convention.
- Synonym: resistance
- (with definite article) A movement or organisation of people who resist artistic convention.
- Synonyms: avant-garde, counterculture
Translations
Verb
underground (third-person singular simple present undergrounds, present participle undergrounding, simple past and past participle undergrounded)
- To route electricity distribution cables underground.
Translations
See also
- underground railway
- go underground
Finnish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English underground.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɑnder.ɡrɑund/, [ˈɑ̝nde̞rˌɡrɑ̝und]
- Rhymes: -ɑund
Noun
underground
- underground (culture)
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
- “underground”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish][6] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04
French
Etymology
Borrowed from English underground.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /œ̃.dɛʁ.ɡʁawnd/
Adjective
underground (invariable)
- underground (outside the mainstream)
Noun
underground m (uncountable)
- (singular only) the underground (people who resist artistic convention)
Further reading
- “underground”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from English underground.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /an.derˈɡrawnd/
- Rhymes: -awnd
Noun
l'underground m (invariable)
- the underground (people who resist artistic convention)
References
Romanian
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English underground.
Adjective
underground m or f or n (indeclinable)
- underground
Declension
Spanish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English underground.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /andeɾˈɡɾaund/ [ãn̪.d̪eɾˈɣ̞ɾãũn̪d̪]
- IPA(key): /ondeɾˈɡɾaund/ [õn̪.d̪eɾˈɣ̞ɾãũn̪d̪]
- Rhymes: -aund
Noun
underground m (plural undergrounds)
- underground (movement)
Usage notes
According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.
Further reading
- “underground”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10