subterranean

[ suhb-tuh-rey-nee-uhn ]
/ ˌsʌb təˈreɪ ni ən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR subterranean ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Also sub·ter·ra·ne·ous.

existing, situated, or operating below the surface of the earth; underground.
existing or operating out of sight or secretly; hidden or secret.

noun

a person or thing that is subterranean.
a subterrane.

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Origin of subterranean

1595–1605; <Latin subterrāne(us) (see subterrane) + -an

OTHER WORDS FROM subterranean

sub·ter·ra·ne·an·ly, sub·ter·ra·ne·ous·ly, adverb

Words nearby subterranean

subtenure, subterfuge, subterminal, subternatural, subterrane, subterranean, subterrestrial, subtext, subthalamic nucleus, subthalamus, subtherapeutic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to subterranean

covered, covert, hush-hush, private, secret, subversive, sunken, under wraps, underfoot, buried, subterrestrial

Example sentences from the Web for subterranean

British Dictionary definitions for subterranean

subterranean
/ (ˌsʌbtəˈreɪnɪən) /

adjective

Also: subterraneous, subterrestrial situated, living, or operating below the surface of the earth
existing or operating in concealment

Derived forms of subterranean

subterraneanly or subterraneously, adverb

Word Origin for subterranean

C17: from Latin subterrāneus, from sub- + terra earth
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