adjective
nether
NETH-er/ˈneðər/
Situated below or beneath something else.
The cellar occupies the house's nether space.
Etymology
Old English niþera expressed a lower position, a meaning retained in nether. Its use for countries on lower ground illustrates the same relation now usually expressed by lower.
In context
His head nodded drowsily, and a little saliva trickled down his nether lip.
More examples
- They descend to the nether chambers of the old building.
- Darkness fills the nether part of the cavern.
- The poem contrasts the heavens with the nether regions.
Forms
nether
Similar words
- lower
- The usual modern word for a position beneath another.
- underlying
- Underlying lies beneath or forms a basis; nether is a more literary term for lower position.