See Also:

under(4) (iou)



under preposition.
[Old English under = Old Frisian under, Old Saxon undar (Dutch onder), Old High German untar (German unter), Old Norse undir, Gothic undar from Germanic base from Indo-European compar. formation (cf. Sanskrit adhara (adjective) lower, adhas below).]
I.
In or to a position lower than; so as to have (the sun etc.) overhead; (immediately) beneath or below; so as to be covered or sheltered by; transf. in the service or support of that symbolized by (a flag etc.). OE.
D. Abse The apple tree under which I made a grave for the frog. M. Frayn He..pulled the suitcases out from under the bed. A. Carter A..napkin was tucked under his chin. W. J. Turner Under a grey October sky. I. Murdoch Under the canopy of the leaves the air was hot. A. Price He felt the smooth, thick paper under his fingers. V. S. Pritchett The sea had tunnelled under the rock.
b. Below the surface of (the earth or water); in or through (a liquid). OE.
M. Keane Being held under the bath water till she drowned.
c. While being ridden by. OE.
Steele Lord Galway had his Horse shot under him.
Covered by, enveloped in; within, on the inside of. OE.
T. Hardy A buff petticoat worn under a puce gown. G. Greene The rain ran down under my macintosh collar. S. Townsend I would lie in bed under the blankets.
At the foot of, by the side of, close to. Freq. with implication of shelter. OE.
E. Bowen Two avenues..meet..under the front steps. Dylan Thomas We..Who live our lives under Milk Wood. A. Price This marvellous..old house under the downs.
Powered by (sail, steam, etc.). OE.
A. Garve I went through the Sound under engine..left the boat at Oban.
Planted with (a crop); stocked with (a type of livestock). M16.
Geographical Magazine The upland..remains under forest and pasture.
During the period of ascendancy of (a star, zodiacal sign, etc.). L16.
II.
In an inferior or subordinate position or capacity to; below in rank or standing. OE.
Addison It was too great an Honour for any Man under a Duke. C. Lamb Deputy, under Evans, was Thomas Tame. R. S. Surtees A maid of all work, and a girl under her.
Subject to the authority, control, direction, or guidance of; spec. (a) led or commanded by; (b) being treated by (a doctor); (c) Music conducted by. OE.
K. H. Digby He studied under Albert at Cologne. Ld Macaulay He..had fought bravely under Monmouth.
b. During the reign or administration of; during (a reign, government, etc.). Cf. sense 20 below. OE.
F. Tuohy Businessmen who had made their fortunes under the last dictatorship. Guardian Its view of England under Thatcher.
c. Beneath the rule or domination of; subject to. Long rare or obsolete. OE.
Subject to (authority, control, direction, etc.); liable to the risk of incurring. OE.
Times A proclamation ordering the tribes to join him under pain of death. T. Hardy Joiners..under her directions enclosed the recess with a..door. G. Greene I am under orders...I am doing my duty. I. Murdoch Statements whose falsity would have been clear under the lightest scrutiny. Which? A service call..should be free if your oven is still under guarantee.
b. Undergoing, in the process of. M16.
R. Banks A huge pool-and-pavilion complex under construction. Times Literary Supplement Fogelin's book is the..sharpest of those under review. Which? An EC directive, currently under discussion.
c. Math. On performance of or with respect to (an operation). E20.
Encyclopedia Britannica Some properties are not preserved under projection.
Controlled, restrained, or bound by. OE.
Guardian The suspect was..under heavy guard.
Afflicted, oppressed, or affected by; while suffering from or affected by. ME.
A. White Your own personality..breaks down under the strain of doing the work of two. Practical Health A small operation, usually done under general anaesthetic.
III.
a. In the form of, as. arch. OE.
Goldsmith Some insects continue under the form of an aurelia not above ten days.
b. In the guise of. ME.
E. B. Pusey The Body and Blood of Christ, under the Bread and Wine.
c. Called or known by, having, with, (a specified name or title); with authorship indicated by (a specified name). M17.
A. White The article..was published..under the title of 'Smoking Flax'. Atlantic The entry under 'Indians, American', is about twenty pages long.
Included or classified in (a group, category, etc.); in the section or article of a book etc. with (a specified heading). OE.
b. Geometry. Of a size or extent determined by (a line or angle). Now rare. L16.
Protected by, in the safety of. OE.
L. Uris It crossed into Austria under the personal protection of a sympathetic..commander.
In a state or condition of; having regard to, taking account of, (circumstances, conditions). ME.
A. Bain The physical state of a muscle under contraction. M. Keane That would have been the height of absurdity, under the circumstances. G. Greene A nation in mourning rather than..under arms.
a. Authorized or attested by. arch. ME.
b. In accordance with. L18.
Times Bankers..risk jail sentences..under a new offence of laundering.
IV.
Unworthy of, beneath. Long rare or obsolete. OE.
Less than (a specified number or amount); at or for a lower cost than. Also placed after a statement of size, price, etc., in and under, or under. LME.
R. Macaulay The speakers were all girls under thirty. G. Greene Pete's mother was a little under five feet tall.
b. In less time than (that specified). M17.
Below (a certain standard). E17.
V. During (a period of time or an activity). Also with demonstr. pronoun Cf. sense 8b above. OE-M17.
Phrases: (A selection of cross-refs. only is included: see esp. other nouns.) under age: see AGE noun 2. under a mistake: see MISTAKE noun. under a person's nose, under a person's very nose: see NOSE noun. under bare poles: see POLE noun1 1c. under correction: see CORRECTION 1. under cover to: see COVER noun1. under hand: see HAND noun. under lock and key: see LOCK noun2. under night Scot. during the night, by night. under OBSERVATION. under one (obsolete exc. dial.) together, at one time. under one roof: see ROOF noun. under one's arm: see ARM noun1. under one's belt: see BELT noun. under one's BREATH. under one's hand: see HAND noun. under protest: see PROTEST noun 3b. under sentence of: see SENTENCE noun 2. under separate cover: see COVER noun1. under the heel of: see HEEL noun1. under the plough: see PLOUGH noun 3. under the rose: see ROSE noun. under the same roof: see ROOF noun. under the sun: see SUN noun1. under the table: see TABLE noun. under the weather: see WEATHER noun. under way: see WAY noun.