subterranean

[ suhb-tuh-rey-nee-uhn ]

adjective

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

noun

1. a person or thing that is subterranean.
2. a subterrane.

subterranean

/ ˌsʌbtəˈreɪnɪən /

adjective

1. Alsosubterraneoussubterrestrial situated, living, or operating below the surface of the earth
2. existing or operating in concealment

Derived Forms

• ˌsubterˈraneanly, adverb

Other Words From

• subter·rane·an·ly subter·rane·ous·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of subterranean¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of subterranean¹

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

Example Sentences

On Earth, seismologists can pinpoint subterranean rumblings by using multiple seismometers.

From Quanta Magazine

A biographer’s task is to close the gap between this surface image and a mosaic of messy subterranean facts.

From Washington Post

Naked mole-rats — with their subterranean societies made up of a single breeding pair and an army of workers — seem like mammals trying their hardest to live like insects.

From Science News

The central, subterranean station has a large, open platform, and also houses the electrical, fire safety and IT equipment.

From TechCrunch

From Maine to North Carolina to Texas, rising sea levels are not just chewing up shorelines but also raising rivers and swamping the subterranean infrastructure of coastal communities, making a stable life there all but impossible.

From ProPublica

A link of pitches perhaps, an a-rhythmic phrase that will lead to a strong subterranean pulsation.

From The Daily Beast

Subterranean explorers puzzled over the mysterious red door that cut off access to underground tunnels leading to the bunker.

From The Daily Beast

At the impressive Memorial Museum in Caen there is a darkly lit subterranean section called “France in the Dark Years.”

From The Daily Beast

And it makes one appreciate the comparatively subterranean biases of NPR, PBS, and the BBC.

From The Daily Beast

Edie Sedgwick, the subterranean princess, was undoubtedly interesting and fun.

From The Daily Beast

Still water runs deep, they say; and a glacial cap may conceal subterranean fires.

From Project Gutenberg

By the light of this subterranean luminary they discovered that they were standing at the foot of an ancient castle.

From Project Gutenberg

The accompanying map of part of the Catacomb of Callixtus will indicate the general plan of these subterranean galleries.

From Project Gutenberg

She was cast into a bare and miserable dungeon, in that subterranean receptacle of woe, where there was not even a bed.

From Project Gutenberg

The tufa granolare, on the contrary, was admirably adapted for the construction of these subterranean cemeteries.

From Project Gutenberg