underlay

Meanings

Verb

• Past of underlie
• To lay (something) underneath something else; to put under.
• To provide a support for something; to raise or support by something laid under.
• To put a tap on (a shoe).
• To incline from the vertical.

Noun

• A layer (of earth, etc.) that lies under another; substratum.
• A soft floor covering that lies under a carpet.
• Anything that is underlaid.
• A piece of paper pasted under woodcuts, stereotype plates, etc. in a form, to bring them up to the necessary level for printing.
• Lyrics; or more specifically, the way in which lyrics are assigned to musical notes.

Origin

• From Middle English underleyen, from Old English underleċġan, equivalent to under- + lay. Cognate with Dutch onderleggen, German unterlegen, Swedish underlägga.
• From Middle English underlay, underlei, equivalent to under- + lay.