undergird

[uhn-der-gurd]

verb (used with object)

undergirded, undergirt, undergirding. 

1. to strengthen; secure, as by passing a rope or chain under and around.

   to undergird a top-heavy load.

2. to give fundamental support; provide with a sound or secure basis.

   ethics undergirded by faith.

undergird

/ ˌʌndəˈɡɜːd /

verb

1. (tr) to strengthen or reinforce by passing a rope, cable, or chain around the underside of (an object, load, etc)

Word History and Origins

Origin of undergird¹

First recorded in 1520–30; under- + gird ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of undergird¹

C16: from _under- + _gird ¹

Example Sentences

Ms. Velez’s Patti exudes a warmth undergirded by a fierce desire to protect her son, and a pleading hope to persuade Nelson that retrenchment is the only path forward.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That’s the principle undergirding the AI industry’s vast expenditures on data centers and high-performance chips.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Whatever progress has been made, there is still one fundamental reality that undergirds American involvement in the peace process in the days ahead.

Read more on BBC

Still, it may as well be implied by the character’s disaffected approach to the tectonic event that undergirds Victor’s dryly funny, intimate debut.

Read more on Salon

It undergirds authoritarianism, the search for perfectionism, the illusion of control.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• bolster 
• hold 
• reinforce 
• uphold