Underthing

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A piece of underwear or lingerie worn beneath outer clothes ; a humble or subordinate person or thing regarded as inferior to others
2. An item of clothing worn under the outer garments, often unseen ; a minor or inferior figure, often a subordinate in a group or hierarchy
3. Undergarments worn beneath other clothing ; a lesser or junior individual, often treated as inferior by those above them

Etymology: "Underthing" is a plain compound: "under-" joined to "thing," the word meaning a garment worn next to the skin beneath outer clothing. The prefix "under-" has been used this way in English for centuries, so the formation is transparent. The "thing" here is the ordinary noun for an object or article, and the combination narrows it to clothing worn underneath other garments.

Synonyms: undergarment, underwear, underclothes