Etymologically
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below

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /bɪˈləʊ/, US /bɪˈloʊ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English bilooghe, formed from Middle English bi- (“by, about”) + looghe (“low”),[2][3][4] that is, be- and low.[5][6][7] It apparently began as a variant of the earlier a-lowe, the parallel form to an-high, now on high, influenced by other adverbs in be-, such as before.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adverb, “in a lower position”: about 1325[3][8] or the early 14th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

Below was very rare in Middle English, where beneath was the usual word, and gained currency only in the 16th century;[2][3] it is frequent in Shakespeare.[2][3] As a preposition it is from 1575.[3][9] “On earth, under heaven” is from 1574,[8] and “in hell, under the earth” from 1610.[8] “Downstairs” or “below decks” is from 1598,[8] and in nautical use below means off duty as opposed to on deck.[2] “Inferior in rank or dignity” is from about 1600.[2] “Later in a text” is from 1694.[8] Fowler distinguished below, the opposite of above and concerned with difference of level, from under, the opposite of over, which suggests superposition and some interrelation.[2] An obsolete verb below, “to humble”, is from 1377.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 1325 – adverb, in a lower place.[3][8]
  • 16th century – gains currency.[2]
  • 1574 – on earth.[8]
  • 1575 – preposition.[3]
  • 1598 – downstairs, below decks.[8]
  • c. 1600 – inferior in rank.[2]
  • 1610 – in hell.[8]
  • 1694 – later in a text.[8]

Modern meaning

Adverb

  1. In or to a lower place; beneath.
  2. On or to a lower floor or deck.
  3. Later in a text: see below.
  4. (literary) On earth, or in hell.

Preposition

  1. Lower than; under.
  2. Lower than on a scale: below zero.
  3. Unworthy of: below his dignity.

Word family

  • hereinbelow
  • belowdecks
  • belowground
  • below stairs
  • below the line

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster