Underneth

Part of speech: preposition, adverb

Definitions

1. Situated in a lower place than something else, directly beneath or below it
2. Found at a point lower down, under the surface or base of something above
3. Positioned beneath or below an object, often covered by or hidden under it

Etymology: "Underneath" is a compound of "under" and "neath," and the second part is the surprising one. "Neath" is an old English word meaning "beneath" or "below," itself formed from "under" with the "-neath" element reduced from "nither," the Old English adverb meaning "downward" or "below." So "underneath" is a doubled sense: "under" plus a second word that already meant "below," stacked together for emphasis. "Underneth" is a variant spelling in which the final "-ath" of "underneath" has been spelled as "-eth." English spelling of this ending was unstable for centuries, so forms like "underneth" appeared in various writings, and the spelling has never become standard in modern English. In current usage it is regarded as a nonstandard or archaic spelling, and "underneath" is the form to use.