underlying

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   lying underneath

   We dug down to the underlying rock.

2. 2
   adj

   basic or fundamental

   Points and straight lines are underlying elements of geometry.

3. 3
   adj

   implicit

   Many nursery rhymes have an underlying meaning.

4. 4
   adj

   in the nature of something though not readily apparent

5. 5
   adj

   being or involving basic facts or principles

6. 6
   adj

   located beneath or below

7. 7
   noun

   The entity from whose performance a derivative derives its value.

8. 8
   verb

   present participle and gerund of underlie

Etymology

By surface analysis, underlie + -ing.