nether region

See also: netherregion

English

Alternative forms

• netherregion

Etymology

From nether +‎ region.

Noun

nether region (plural nether regions)

1. (often pluralized) Hell; a realm beneath the surface of the earth conceived as the abode of the souls of the dead and, sometimes, as the abode of demons or evil spirits.
   • 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, ch. 23:

     At this instant old Roger Chillingworth thrust himself through the crowd—or, perhaps, so dark, disturbed, and evil was his look, he rose up out of some nether region.

   • 1890, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Firm of Girdlestone, ch. 25:

     None of them were sorry when Faust was duly consigned to the nether regions.

   • 1921, William MacLeod Raine, Gunsight Pass, ch. 1:

     The other, dwarfed and prehensile, might in its uncanny silhouette have been an imp of darkness from the nether regions.

2. (often pluralized, by extension) A place which is subterranean or enclosed beneath a surface, especially one which is dark, dank, or otherwise inhospitable.
   • 1918, Arthur Quiller-Couch, Foe-Farrell, ch. 12:

     But the steward of those nether regions marked him, by the electric lamps, as a lurking passenger to be watched; and wondered who, at that depth in the ship, could be carrying valuables.

3. (often pluralized, euphemistic, sometimes humorous) The private parts between the legs; the groin or buttocks.
   • 2006 November 29, Sheila Marikar, “Britney Keeps Flashing, Cameras Keep Clicking”, in ABC News‎^[1]:

     The rash of celebrities flashing their nether regions worries Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute of etiquette and manners.

   • 2020 April 22, “Letters: Open Access: Not easy for laptops”, in Rail, page 31:

     But her main concern is the hard seating that numbs the nether regions.

Synonyms

• (Hell; a realm beneath the earth): Hades, netherworld, underworld

See also

• nether cheek

References

• “nether region”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “nether regions”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.