nether

[ neth -er ]

/ ˈnɛð ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nether ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

lying or believed to lie beneath the earth's surface; infernal: the nether regions.

lower or under: his nether lip.

Nearby words

netback, netball, netbook, neth., nethead, nether, nether world, netherlander, netherlandic, netherlands, netherlands antilles

Origin of nether

before 900; Middle English nethere, Old English neothera, nithera, derivative of nither down (cognate with German nieder), literally, further down, equivalent to ni- down + -ther comparative suffix

Related forms

neth·er·ward, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nether

It quickly becomes way too apparent that this is not a scenic romantic vista, but rather code for Harding's own nether regions.
Fifty Shades of Presidential FanFiction|Amy Zimmerman|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She just sits in a pool of water and spreads her legs, using her nether regions as bait.
‘Naked and Afraid’ Is the Craziest Show on TV—You Just Have to Watch|Kevin Fallon|July 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He is also nicknamed Chief Kiael, but nether neither he nor anybody else seems to be the chief of SUWU.
Never Mind El Chapo: Chicago’s Real Public Enemy No. 1 Is the Shorties|Michael Daly|February 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Somewhere in the nether regions of his pitiless heart, the ancient patriarch knows he cannot live forever.
The Murdoch Family Succession Psychodrama|Alex Massie|November 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST

"This went from the nether regions of the Internet to mainstream political debate," Pfeiffer told the half-full briefing room.
Obama Releases Birth Certificate|Howard Kurtz|April 27, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Tartarus was the region of punishment in the nether world of the ancients.
Rambles in Rome|S. Russell Forbes
Their synne shall not hurte vs / nether will we absteyne frome the sacramentes for their nowghtines / but vse th.
A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the Unfaithful|Peter Martyr
Tis a long journey and I effected nothing; for the mind of the King, I was assured, is harder than the nether millstone.
For Faith and Freedom|Walter Besant
You somehow think of them as on, not in the lake, or like clouds lying in a nether skylike ships waiting for the wind.
Spare Hours|John Brown
His nether lip actually returned to its normal position under the shock.
Make or Break|Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for nether

nether

/ (ˈnɛðə) /

adjective

placed or situated below, beneath, or undergroundnether regions; a nether lip

Word Origin for nether

Old English niothera, nithera, literally: further down, from nither down. Related to Old Irish nitaram, German nieder

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012