underground

See also: Underground

English

Alternative forms

• under ground (now uncommon)

Etymology

From Middle English undergrounde (adverb), equivalent to under +‎ ground or under- +‎ ground. Compare Dutch ondergrond, ondergronds, German Untergrund, Danish undergrunds.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌʌndəˈɡɹaʊnd/, (especially for the noun) /ˈʌndəɡɹaʊnd/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌʌndɚˈɡɹaʊnd/, (especially for the noun) /ˈʌndɚɡɹaʊnd/
• Rhymes: -aʊnd
• Hyphenation: un‧der‧ground

Adjective

underground (comparative more underground, superlative most underground)

1. (not comparable) Below the ground; below the surface of the Earth.

   Synonyms: subterranean, hypogean

   There is an underground tunnel that takes you across the river.

   • 2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist‎^[1], volume 411, number 8891:

     One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination.

2. (figurative) Hidden, furtive, secretive.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:hidden, Thesaurus:covert

   These criminals operate through an underground network.

3. (of music, art etc.) Outside the mainstream, especially unofficial and hidden from the authorities.

   Synonyms: unconventional, alternative

   Antonym: mainstream

   underground music

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, page 27:

     ‘ […] he wrote to me last week telling me about an incredible bitch of a row blazing there on account of someone having been and gone and produced an unofficial magazine called Raddled, full of obscene libellous Oz-like filth. And what I though, what Sammy and I thought, was—why not?’ ‘Why not what?’ said Tom. ‘Why not do the same thing here?’ ‘You mean an underground magazine?’ ‘Yup.’

   • 2010 March 20, James Campbell, “Barry Miles: 'I think of the 60s as a supermarket of ideas. We were looking for new ways to live'”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     "In many ways, it showed there was no longer an underground, as such. This proved that there was no longer one society with everyone agreeing how to live . . . The underground had officially come above ground, and consequently no longer existed."

Derived terms

• underground handball
• underground handpass
• underground mutton
• underground people
• Underground Railroad
• underground railway
• Weather Underground

Translations

below the ground — see also subterranean

• Armenian: ընդերկրյա (hy) (ənderkrya), ստորգետնյա (hy) (storgetnya)
• Belarusian: падзе́мны (padzjémny)
• Bulgarian: подзе́мен (bg) (podzémen)
• Catalan: subterrani (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 地下 (zh) (dìxià)

• Czech: podzemní (cs)
• Dutch: ondergronds (nl)
• Esperanto: subtera
• Finnish: maanalainen (fi)
• French: souterrain (fr)
• Georgian: მიწისქვეშა (mic̣iskveša)
• German: unterirdisch (de), Untegrund- (de)
• Greek: υπόγειος (el) (ypógeios)

  Ancient: ὑπόγειος (hupógeios), ὑπόνομος (hupónomos), χθόνιος (khthónios)

• Hindi: भूमिगत (hi) (bhūmigat), अंतर्भौम (antarbhaum), ज़मींदोज़ (zamīndoz), भूगर्भस्थ (bhūgarbhasth), भूगर्भिक (bhūgarbhik)
• Hungarian: föld alatti
• Icelandic: neðanjarðar
• Ido: subtera (io)
• Ingrian: maanalain
• Italian: sotterraneo (it)
• Japanese: 地下 (ja) (ちか, chika)
• Korean: 땅속 (ko) (ttangsok), 땅굴 (ko) (ttanggul), 땅밑 (ttangmit), 땅아래 (ttang'arae), 지하(地下) (ko) (jiha)
• Latin: subterrāneus
• Macedonian: подземен (podzemen)
• Malay: bawah tanah (ms), banah
• Maori: rarowhenua
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: underjordisk

• Polish: podziemny (pl)
• Portuguese: subterrâneo (pt)
• Romanian: subteran (ro)
• Russian: подзе́мный (ru) (podzémnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: подземан

  Roman: podzeman

• Slovak: podzemný
• Slovene: podzemen
• Spanish: subterráneo (es)
• Swedish: underjordisk (sv)
• Ukrainian: підзе́мний (pidzémnyj)
• Welsh: tanddaearol (cy)
• Yiddish: אונטערגרונט (untergrunt), אונטערערדיש (untererdish)

hidden, furtive

• Bulgarian: та́ен (bg) (táen), подмо́лен (bg) (podmólen)
• Catalan: clandestí (ca), secret (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 地下的 (zh) (dìxià de), 秘密的 (zh) (mìmì de), 暗中的 (zh) (ànzhōng de)

• Dutch: ondergronds (nl)
• Finnish: maanalainen (fi)
• French: souterrain (fr), clandestin (fr)
• Georgian: იატაკქვეშა (iaṭaḳkveša), საიდუმლო (saidumlo), ფარული (paruli)
• German: heimlich (de), geheim (de), Untergrund- (de)
• Greek: υπόγειος (el) (ypógeios), μυστικός (el) (mystikós), λαθραίος (el) (lathraíos)
• Hebrew: מַחְתַּרְתִּי (maẖtartí)
• Hungarian: földalatti (hu), illegális (hu), rejtett (hu), titkos (hu)
• Italian: clandestino (it)
• Japanese: 秘密の (ja) (ひみつの, himitsu no), 不法の (ja) (ふほうの, fuhō no), アングラ (angura)
• Macedonian: потаен (potaen)
• Polish: podziemny (pl)
• Portuguese: clandestino (pt), secreto (pt)
• Russian: подпо́льный (ru) (podpólʹnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: прикрѝвен, по̏та̄јан

  Roman: prikrìven (sh), pȍtājan (sh)

• Yiddish: אונטערערדיש (untererdish)

outside the mainstream

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 非主流 (zh) (fēi zhǔliú)

• Dutch: underground (nl) m
• Finnish: underground (fi)
• French: underground (fr), alternatif (fr)
• German: Untegrund- (de)
• Greek: υπόγειος (el) (ypógeios), περιθωριακός (el) (perithoriakós)
• Hungarian: alternatív (hu)
• Japanese: アングラ (angura)
• Polish: undergroundowy
• Portuguese: underground (pt), alternativo (pt)
• Russian: андергра́унд (ru) (andɛrgráund), андегра́унд (ru) (andɛgráund)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: подземан

  Roman: podzeman

• Turkish: yer altı (tr), underground
• Ukrainian: андергра́ундовий (anderhráundovyj), андегра́ундовий (andehráundovyj)

Adverb

underground (comparative more underground, superlative most underground)

1. Below the ground.

   Synonym: below ground

   The tunnel goes underground at this point.

2. Secretly.

   Synonyms: clandestinely, in secret, on the quiet

Translations

below the ground

• Bulgarian: под земята (pod zemjata)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 地下 (zh) (dìxià)

• Finnish: maan alla
• French: sous terre, sous la terre
• Galician: baixo terra
• German: unter der Erde, unterirdisch (de)
• Greek: υπόγεια (el) (ypógeia)
• Icelandic: neðanjarðar
• Italian: sottoterra (it)
• Navajo: łeeyiʼ
• Portuguese: debaixo da terra, debaixo do solo
• Russian: под землёй (pod zemljój)

Noun

underground (plural undergrounds)

1. (geography) Regions beneath the surface of the earth, both natural (eg. caves) and man-made (eg. mines).
2. (chiefly British) Synonym of subway: a railway that is under the ground.

   Synonym: underground railway

   London Underground

3. (with definite article) A movement or organisation of people who resist political convention.

   Synonym: resistance

   the French underground during World War II

   • 1942, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch, Casablanca, spoken by Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman):

     Victor, please, don't go to the underground meeting tonight.

4. (with definite article) A movement or organisation of people who resist artistic convention.

   Synonyms: avant-garde, counterculture

Translations

regions beneath the surface of the earth

• Czech: podzemí (cs) n
• Hindi: भूगर्भ (bhūgarbh), अंतर्भूमि (antarbhūmi), भूमिगत (hi) (bhūmigat)
• Portuguese: subsolo (pt) m, subterrâneo (pt) m, subterrâneo (pt) m

subway — see subway

movement or organisation of people who resist political convention

• Armenian: ընդհատակ (hy) (əndhatak)
• Bulgarian: нелегална организация f (nelegalna organizacija)
• Finnish: vastarintaliike (fi)
• French: résistance (fr) f, mouvement clandestin m, organisation clandestine f
• Georgian: იატაკქვეშა ორგანიზაცია (iaṭaḳkveša organizacia)
• German: Untergrundorganisation (de) f
• Hebrew: מַחְתֶּרֶת (he) f (maẖtéret)
• Irish: gluaiseacht faoi choim f
• Italian: resistenza (it) f, movimento clandestino m, organizzazione clandestina f
• Macedonian: по́дземје n (pódzemje)
• Polish: podziemie (pl) n, ruch oporu (pl) m
• Portuguese: resistência (pt) f
• Romanian: mișcare clandestină, organizație clandestină
• Russian: подпо́лье (ru) n (podpólʹje)
• Spanish: movimiento clandestino m, organización clandestina f

movement or organisation of people who resist artistic convention

• French: underground (fr) m, mouvement d’avant-garde m
• German: Underground m
• Italian: underground (it) m
• Macedonian: а́ндерграунд m (ándergraund)
• Polish: podziemie (pl) n
• Portuguese: submundo m
• Russian: андергра́унд (ru) m (andɛrgráund), андегра́унд (ru) m (andɛgráund)
• Ukrainian: андергра́унд m (anderhráund), андегра́унд m (andehráund)

Verb

underground (third-person singular simple present undergrounds, present participle undergrounding, simple past and past participle undergrounded)

1. To route electricity distribution cables underground.
   • 1962, David Pesonen, “Battles Over Energy”, in Carolyn Merchant, editor, Green Versus Gold: Sources in California's Environmental History‎^[3], Island Press, published 1998, →ISBN, page 325:

     One is to underground where no other alternative will work, and this method should be used universally in urban regions as it now is in “downtown” sections.

   • 2004, Don L. Ivey, C. Paul Scott, “Solutions”, in Transportation Research Board Committee on Utilities, editor, Utilities and Roadside Safety‎^[4], State of the Art Report 9, Transportation Research Board, →ISBN, page 9:

     Also, undergrounding may not eliminate the potential for crashes with other roadside objects, such as trees, walls, buildings, and so forth. [...] When looking at the fesibility of undergrounding utilities, the complete roadside area and nearby adjacent properties should be evaluated for potential roadside obstructions or hazards.

   • 2006, Janes Northcote-Green, Robert Wilson, “Design, Construction and Operation of Distribution Systems, MV Networks”, in Control and Automation of Electrical Power Distribution Systems‎^[5], CRC Press, →ISBN, page 110:

     The utility now wants the network to be undergrounded in the urban areas, which would mean substations with 33 kV distribution swtichgear.

Translations

to route electricity distribution cables underground

• Bulgarian: прокарвам под земята (prokarvam pod zemjata)
• Greek: υπογειώνω (el) (ypogeióno)

See also

• underground railway
• go underground

Finnish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English underground.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑnder.ɡrɑund/, [ˈɑ̝nde̞rˌɡrɑ̝und]
• Rhymes: -ɑund

Noun

underground

1. underground (culture)

Declension

Inflection of underground (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		underground	undergroundit
genitive		undergroundin	undergroundien
partitive		undergroundia	undergroundeja
illative		undergroundiin	undergroundeihin
		singular	plural
nominative		underground	undergroundit
accusative	nom.	underground	undergroundit
	gen.	undergroundin
genitive		undergroundin	undergroundien
partitive		undergroundia	undergroundeja
inessive		undergroundissa	undergroundeissa
elative		undergroundista	undergroundeista
illative		undergroundiin	undergroundeihin
adessive		undergroundilla	undergroundeilla
ablative		undergroundilta	undergroundeilta
allative		undergroundille	undergroundeille
essive		undergroundina	undergroundeina
translative		undergroundiksi	undergroundeiksi
abessive		undergrounditta	undergroundeitta
instructive		—	undergroundein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of underground (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative undergroundini undergroundini accusative nom. undergroundini undergroundini gen. undergroundini genitive undergroundini undergroundieni partitive undergroundiani undergroundejani inessive undergroundissani undergroundeissani elative undergroundistani undergroundeistani illative undergroundiini undergroundeihini adessive undergroundillani undergroundeillani ablative undergroundiltani undergroundeiltani allative undergroundilleni undergroundeilleni essive undergroundinani undergroundeinani translative undergroundikseni undergroundeikseni abessive undergroundittani undergroundeittani instructive — — comitative — undergroundeineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative undergroundisi undergroundisi accusative nom. undergroundisi undergroundisi gen. undergroundisi genitive undergroundisi undergroundiesi partitive undergroundiasi undergroundejasi inessive undergroundissasi undergroundeissasi elative undergroundistasi undergroundeistasi illative undergroundiisi undergroundeihisi adessive undergroundillasi undergroundeillasi ablative undergroundiltasi undergroundeiltasi allative undergroundillesi undergroundeillesi essive undergroundinasi undergroundeinasi translative undergroundiksesi undergroundeiksesi abessive undergroundittasi undergroundeittasi instructive — — comitative — undergroundeinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative undergroundimme undergroundimme accusative nom. undergroundimme undergroundimme gen. undergroundimme genitive undergroundimme undergroundiemme partitive undergroundiamme undergroundejamme inessive undergroundissamme undergroundeissamme elative undergroundistamme undergroundeistamme illative undergroundiimme undergroundeihimme adessive undergroundillamme undergroundeillamme ablative undergroundiltamme undergroundeiltamme allative undergroundillemme undergroundeillemme essive undergroundinamme undergroundeinamme translative undergroundiksemme undergroundeiksemme abessive undergroundittamme undergroundeittamme instructive — — comitative — undergroundeinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative undergroundinne undergroundinne accusative nom. undergroundinne undergroundinne gen. undergroundinne genitive undergroundinne undergroundienne partitive undergroundianne undergroundejanne inessive undergroundissanne undergroundeissanne elative undergroundistanne undergroundeistanne illative undergroundiinne undergroundeihinne adessive undergroundillanne undergroundeillanne ablative undergroundiltanne undergroundeiltanne allative undergroundillenne undergroundeillenne essive undergroundinanne undergroundeinanne translative undergroundiksenne undergroundeiksenne abessive undergroundittanne undergroundeittanne instructive — — comitative — undergroundeinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative undergroundinsa undergroundinsa accusative nom. undergroundinsa undergroundinsa gen. undergroundinsa genitive undergroundinsa undergroundiensa partitive undergroundiaan undergroundiansa undergroundejaan undergroundejansa inessive undergroundissaan undergroundissansa undergroundeissaan undergroundeissansa elative undergroundistaan undergroundistansa undergroundeistaan undergroundeistansa illative undergroundiinsa undergroundeihinsa adessive undergroundillaan undergroundillansa undergroundeillaan undergroundeillansa ablative undergroundiltaan undergroundiltansa undergroundeiltaan undergroundeiltansa allative undergroundilleen undergroundillensa undergroundeilleen undergroundeillensa essive undergroundinaan undergroundinansa undergroundeinaan undergroundeinansa translative undergroundikseen undergroundiksensa undergroundeikseen undergroundeiksensa abessive undergroundittaan undergroundittansa undergroundeittaan undergroundeittansa instructive — — comitative — undergroundeineen undergroundeinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• undergroundelokuva
• undergroundkirjallisuus
• undergroundkulttuuri
• undergroundsarjakuva

Further reading

• “underground”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[6] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English underground.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /œ̃.dɛʁ.ɡʁawnd/

Adjective

underground (invariable)

1. underground (outside the mainstream)

Noun

underground m (uncountable)

1. (singular only) the underground (people who resist artistic convention)

Further reading

• “underground”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English underground.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /an.derˈɡrawnd/
• Rhymes: -awnd

Noun

l'underground m (invariable)

1. the underground (people who resist artistic convention)

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English underground.

Adjective

underground m or f or n (indeclinable)

1. underground

Declension

Declension of underground (invariable)

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	underground		underground		underground	underground
	definite	—		—		—	—
genitive- dative	indefinite	underground		underground		underground	underground
	definite	—		—		—	—

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English underground.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /andeɾˈɡɾaund/ [ãn̪.d̪eɾˈɣ̞ɾãũn̪d̪]
• IPA^(key): /ondeɾˈɡɾaund/ [õn̪.d̪eɾˈɣ̞ɾãũn̪d̪]
• Rhymes: -aund

Noun

underground m (plural undergrounds)

1. underground (movement)

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “underground”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10