beneath

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be·neath

(bĭ-nēth′)

adv.

1. In a lower place; below.

2. Underneath.

prep.

a. Lower than; below: a drawer beneath a cabinet.

b. To or into a lower position than: moved the picture beneath the light.

2. Covered or concealed by: The earth lay beneath a blanket of snow.

3. Under the force, control, or influence of.

a. Lower than, as in rank or station.

b. Unworthy of; unbefitting: It was beneath me to beg.

[Middle English binethe, from Old English beneothan : be, by; see by¹ + neothan, below.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

beneath

(bɪˈniːθ)

prep

1. below, esp if covered, protected, or obscured by

2. not as great or good as would be demanded by: beneath his dignity.

adv

below; underneath

[Old English beneothan, from be- + neothan low; see nether]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

be•neath

(bɪˈniθ, -ˈnið)

adv.

1. in or to a lower position; below.

2. underneath.

prep.

3. below; under: beneath the same roof.

4. farther down than: The drawer beneath the top one.

5. lower down on a slope than: beneath the crest of a hill.

6. less important than; inferior to, as in rank or power: A captain is beneath a major.

7. below the level or dignity of: behavior beneath contempt.

[before 900; Middle English benethe, Old English beneothan <be- be- + neothan below]

under

– below – beneath

1. 'under'

Under is almost always a preposition. You use under to say that one thing is at a lower level than another, and that the other thing is directly above it. For example, you might say that an object on the floor is under a table or chair.

There's a cupboard under the stairs.

A path runs under the trees.

2. 'underneath'

Underneath can be a preposition with a similar meaning to under.

We sat at a table underneath some olive trees.

Underneath can also be an adverb.

Let's pull up the carpet and see what's underneath.

3. 'below'

Below can be a preposition. You normally use it to say that one thing is at a much lower level than another.

There's a tunnel 100 metres below the surface.

Below can also be an adverb.

They stood at the top of the mountain and looked at the valley below.

4. 'beneath'

Beneath can be a preposition with a similar meaning to under or below. Beneath is more formal.

He could feel the soft ground beneath his feet.

Beneath can also be an adverb.

He stared out of the window at the courtyard beneath.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adv.

beneath - in or to a place that is lower

at a lower place, below, to a lower place

beneath

preposition

1. under, below, underneath, lower than She found pleasure in sitting beneath the trees.
under over, above, upon, on top of, higher than, atop

2. inferior to, below, secondary to, not good enough for, lower in status than, not as important as She decided he was beneath her.

3. unworthy of, unfitting for, unsuitable for, inappropriate for, unbefitting Many find themselves having to take jobs far beneath them.

adverb

1. underneath, below, further down, in a lower place On a shelf beneath he spotted a photo album.

Related words
prefix sub-

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

أَدْنى مِن، غَيْر جَديرتَحْتتـَحْتَتَحْت، إلى أسْفَل

podvespoddole

undernedenfornedenunder

unter unterhalb

κάτω κάτω από

bajo de abajodebajo (de)debajo de abajo

alapuolella

sous

ispod

lenn

fyrir neîanfyrir neîan virîinguundir, fyrir neîan

sotto abbasso indegno

･･･の下に

...의 밑에

apakšāzem

onder

(neden)under under verdighet

poniżej

debaixo

под

naspodu

podspodaj

under

ข้างล่าง

altındaalttalâyık değilyakışmazaltına

ở dưới

不值得在...下方在...之下在下方

beneath

[bɪˈniːθ]

A. PREP

1. (= below) → debajo de, bajo

2. (fig) → inferior a, por debajo de
it would be beneath him to do such a thing → hacer tal cosa sería indigno de él
she married beneath her → se casó con un hombre de clase inferior
beneath contempt → despreciable

B. ADV → abajo, debajo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

beneath

[bɪˈniːθ]

prep

(= under) → sous

(= unworthy of) → indigne de
beneath him → indigne de lui
Many find themselves having to take jobs far beneath them → Beaucoup se voient obligés d'accepter des emplois indignes d'eux.
to marry beneath one
They decided she was marrying beneath her
BUT Ils décidèrent que ce mariage était une mésalliance.

adv → dessous

beneath

prep

→ unter (+dat or with motion +acc); (with line, level etc also) → unterhalb (+gen); to marry beneath one → unter seinem Stand heiraten ? also below PREP a

(= unworthy of) it is beneath him → das ist unter seiner Würde; he regarded the critics as beneath his notice → er fand es unter seiner Würde, von den Kritikern überhaupt Notiz zu nehmen

adv → unten ? also below ADV a

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

beneath

[bɪˈniːθ]

1. prep → sotto, al di sotto di; (unworthy of) → indegno/a di
it is beneath my notice → non è degno della mia attenzione
it is beneath him to do such a thing → non si degnerebbe mai di fare una cosa del genere

2. adv → sotto, di sotto
the flat beneath → l'appartamento al piano di sotto

beneath

(biˈniːθ) preposition

1. in a lower position than; under; below. beneath the floorboards; beneath her coat.

2. not worthy of. It is beneath my dignity to do that.

adverb

below or underneath. They watched the boat breaking up on the rocks beneath.

beneath

→ تـَحْتَ pod under unter κάτω από bajo alapuolella sous ispod sotto ･･･の下に ...의 밑에 onder (neden)under poniżej debaixo под under ข้างล่าง altında ở dưới 在...之下

beneath

prep., adv. abajo, debajo, bajo.

References in classic literature ?

As ADAM lay a-dreaming beneath the Apple Tree, The Angel of the Earth came down, and offered Earth in fee.

View in context

Scarce was his back turned toward the giant than the short-sword of the latter was plunged beneath his left shoulder blade, straight through his heart.

View in context

Some of them were dozing against the boles of trees, while others roamed about turning over bits of bark from beneath which they transferred the luscious grubs and beetles to their mouths.

View in context

His tiny surcoat of scarlet velvet was rich with embroidery, while beneath was a close-fitting tunic of white silk.

View in context

In the shadows of the forest that flanks the crimson plain by the side of the Lost Sea of Korus in the Valley Dor, beneath the hurtling moons of Mars, speeding their meteoric way close above the bosom of the dying planet, I crept stealthily along the trail of a shadowy form that hugged the darker places with a persistency that proclaimed the sinister nature of its errand.

View in context

After a little search he located the clean-picked bones of his late adversary, and close by, partly buried beneath the fallen leaves, he found the knife, now red with rust from its exposure to the dampness of the ground and from the dried blood of the gorilla.

View in context

Then, when he had worked Taug to such a pitch of foaming rage that the great bull fairly danced upon the bending limb beneath him, Tarzan's hand shot suddenly outward, a widening noose dropped swiftly through the air, there was a quick jerk as it settled about Taug, falling to his knees, a jerk that tightened it securely about the hairy legs of the anthropoid.

View in context

The panglima Ninaka of the Signana Dyaks who manned Muda Saffir's war prahu saw his chief disappear beneath the swift waters of the river, but the word of command that would have sent the boat hurriedly back to pick up the swimmer was not given.

View in context

A little shiver of anticipation tingled his spine, and then, quite without volition, he found himself gazing into the loving eyes of his mother and the strong face of the father which mirrored, beneath its masculine strength, a love no less than the mother's eyes proclaimed.

View in context

Unloosed from their lashing by the constant turning and twisting of the ship and the force of the wind, the boarding and landing tackle had been trailing beneath the keel, a tangled mass of cordage and leather.

View in context

It passes directly beneath the Blue Place of Seven Skulls.

View in context

His eyes also were bound round with a band of leather, as though to hide something from their gaze, one foot was gone, one hung over the edge of the niche towards the floor, and beneath it on the floor, red with rust, lay the blade of a broken spear.