Underworlds

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A realm that exists beneath the surface of the earth, often in mythology representing a home to the dead
2. A metaphorical space representing the criminal underbelly of society, where illicit activities occur
3. In fictional narratives, a hidden world of supernatural beings and events that contrasts with the ordinary world

Etymology: "Underworlds" is simply the plural of "underworld," so it describes more than one realm beneath the earth, most often in the plural sense of several such places in different myths or traditions. The base word is a compound of "under," which goes back to Old English "under" with the same sense of position below, and "world," from Old English "weorold," originally meaning "the age of man" or human existence before it came to mean the physical world as a whole. Put together, "underworld" literally means the world beneath, the lower counterpart to the human world above. The compound is transparent in English and needed no special coinage, which explains why it appears across many religious and mythic traditions where the dead were imagined as living somewhere below ground.

Synonyms: infernos, hells, nether regions, subterranean realms, dark realms