Underrelease

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To let go of or make available something to a lesser degree than is needed or intended
2. Doing the act of releasing something in insufficient amounts, so that less is freed or issued than should be
3. Making a product, record or substance available in smaller quantity or extent than was planned or required

Etymology: Under- is one of English's most productive prefixes for "too little" or "beneath," and it attaches freely to verbs and nouns: underpay, underfeed, underestimate. Underrelease follows that pattern, meaning a release that falls short of what is needed or expected, so it is a transparent compound rather than a word with a hidden history. The second half comes from "release," which passed into English from Old French "relaissier," meaning to let go or leave behind. That French verb combined "re-" with "laissier," which descends from Latin "laxare," to loosen. The original picture is of loosening a hold, and the prefix adds the idea that the loosening did not go far enough.