Underwrap

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. A layer of material placed beneath an outer wrapping, such as padding laid under a bandage or dressing
2. Padding or cloth that is bound around an object or limb first, so that the outer covering sits more comfortably above it
3. The inner protective layer that goes under a wrap, cushioning the body or item before the final outer covering is applied

Etymology: "Underwrap" is a plain compound of the prefix "under-" and "wrap," meaning a layer worn or placed beneath an outer covering. Its parts carry their ordinary senses: "under-" indicates position beneath, and "wrap" comes from Middle English "wrappen," a word of uncertain earlier origin that originally meant to fold or roll something around an object. The formation follows a familiar English pattern, in which "under-" attaches to nouns and verbs to give the sense of something lying below or inside another thing. Because the word is built transparently from two common parts, its meaning can be worked out from its components without special knowledge of its history.