underground

Etymology

From Middle English undergrounde (adverb), equivalent to under +‎ ground. Compare Dutch ondergrond, ondergronds, German Untergrund, Danish undergrunds.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aʊnd

Adjective

underground (comparative more underground, superlative most underground)

1. (not comparable) Below the ground; below the surface of the Earth.

   Synonym: subterranean

   There is an underground tunnel that takes you across the river.

   • 2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:

     One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination.

2. Hidden, furtive, secretive.

   Synonyms: clandestine, hidden, hush-hush, secret

   These criminals operate through an underground network.

3. Of music, art, etc, outside the mainstream.

   Synonym: unconventional

Adverb

underground (comparative more underground, superlative most underground)

1. Below the ground.

   Synonym: below ground

   The tunnel goes underground at this point.

2. Secretly.

   Synonyms: clandestinely, in secret, on the quiet

Noun

underground (plural undergrounds)

1. (chiefly Britain) An underground railway.
2. (with "the") A movement or organisation of people who resist political convention.
3. (with "the") A movement or organisation of people who resist artistic convention.

Verb

underground (third-person singular simple present undergrounds, present participle undergrounding, simple past and past participle undergrounded)

1. To route electricity distribution cables underground
   • 1962, David Pesonen, “Battles Over Energy”, in Carolyn Merchant, editor, Green Versus Gold: Sources in California's Environmental History‎, Island Press, published 1998, →ISBN, page 325:

     One is to underground where no other alternative will work, and this method should be used universally in urban regions as it now is in “downtown” sections.

   • 2004, Don L. Ivey and C. Paul Scott, “Solutions”, in Transportation Research Board Committee on Utilities, editor, Utilities and Roadside Safety‎, State of the Art Report 9, Transportation Research Board, →ISBN, page 9:

     Also, undergrounding may not eliminate the potential for crashes with other roadside objects, such as trees, walls, buildings, and so forth. [...] When looking at the fesibility of undergrounding utilities, the complete roadside area and nearby adjacent properties should be evaluated for potential roadside obstructions or hazards.

   • 2006, Janes Northcote-Green, Robert Wilson, “Design, Construction and Operation of Distribution Systems, MV Networks”, in Control and Automation of Electrical Power Distribution Systems‎, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 110:

     The utility now wants the network to be undergrounded in the urban areas, which would mean substations with 33 kV distribution swtichgear.

See also

• underground railway
• go underground

Etymology

From English underground.

Noun

underground

1. underground (culture)

Etymology

From English underground.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /œ̃.dɛʁ.ɡʁawnd/

Adjective

underground (invariable)

1. underground (outside the mainstream)

Noun

underground m (uncountable)

1. (singular only) the underground (people who resist artistic convention)

Further reading

• “underground” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

From English underground.

Noun

l'underground m (invariable)

1. the underground (people who resist artistic convention)

Etymology

From English underground.

Noun

underground m (plural undergrounds)

1. underground (movement)