undershot

American  

[uhn-der-shot, uhn-der-shot] / ˈʌn dərˌʃɒt, ˌʌn dərˈʃɒt /

adjective

1. having the front teeth of the lower jaw projecting in front of the upper teeth, as a bulldog.

2. driven by water passing beneath.

   an undershot vertical water wheel.

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verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of undershoot.

undershot British  

/ ˈʌndəˌʃɒt /

adjective

1. (of the lower jaw) projecting beyond the upper jaw; underhung

2. (of a water wheel) driven by a flow of water that passes under the wheel rather than over it See overshot

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Etymology

Origin of undershot

First recorded in 1600–10; under- + shot ²

Example Sentences

The history of the building also captivated Brendan - it is an undershot watermill, which means water flows underneath the waterwheel, striking the paddles at the bottom.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

Global silver supplies undershot demand for a fifth year in a row in 2025, according to the Silver Institute.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 10, 2025

Economic growth slowed to a more than four-year low in the third quarter, while inflation undershot the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’s 2025 inflation target of 2% to 4% for a ninth straight month in November.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

“The company’s September quarter results exceeded our estimates at the gross margin and Ebitda level even as revenue undershot slightly, driven by production challenges,” the firm wrote following Monday’s report.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

How deep into the water should the paddles of an undershot wheel go?

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton