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Etymology and origin of the English word underscore

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1770 P. Luckombe, Concise History of Printing More words from the 18th century
Ultimate origins
English under-Old Norse skor
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English score
English underscore
From the same root
English scoreboard ← score

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈʌn.dəˌskɔː(ɹ)/[1]
  • US: /ˈʌn.dɚˌskoɹ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English under- + score,[2][3][4][5] the verb from the verb and the noun from the noun.[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To draw a line beneath something; to underline: 1770, in Philip Luckombe's Concise History of Printing.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date the verb to 1771,[3][4] and Dictionary.com to 1765–75.[5]

Semantic evolution

The verb began as a practical term for marking written or printed matter with a line, as for emphasis.[2][3] From 1891, in W. S. Gilbert's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, it was used figuratively for "to emphasize, to reinforce", like the verb underline.[2][3][6] The noun, a line drawn beneath a word, followed in 1901, in the Phonetic Journal;[2][3][4] the Shorter Oxford adds the facility for making one on a typewriter.[6] In film, both verb and noun came to be used of music that accompanies the action and dialogue.[4]

Timeline

  • 1770 – to draw a line under; to underline.[2][4]
  • 1891 – figuratively, to emphasize or reinforce.[2][3]
  • 1901 – noun, a line drawn beneath a word.[2][3][4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To draw a line under a word or passage; to underline: She underscored every date in the report.[7][4][8]
  2. To emphasize or stress; to make something stand out as important: The delays underscored the need for a new bridge.[7][4][8]
  3. To provide a film scene with accompanying music.[4]

Noun

  1. A line drawn under written or printed matter, especially for emphasis or to mark italics.[7][4][6]
  2. The character _, as on a typewriter or computer keyboard.[1][6]
  3. Music accompanying the action and dialogue of a film.[4][1]

Usage notes

The Concise Oxford treats both the verb and the noun as other terms for underline.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  9. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Underscore.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/underscore. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·