Standard Lemma guide

beneath

adv · prep · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /bɪˈniːθ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːθ
  • CMU ARPABET: B IH0 N IY1 TH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Below or underneath.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

prep

Meaning 2

Below.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 1718, Alexander Pope, epitaph to Nicholas Rowe Beneath a rude and nameless stone he lies.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

prep

Meaning 3

In a position that is lower in rank, dignity, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Their despicable behaviour is beneath contempt.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

prep

Meaning 4

Covered up or concealed by something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

in or to a place that is lower

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: below, at a lower place, to a lower place

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English benethe, from Old English bineoþan (“beneath, under, below”), equivalent to be- + neath. Cognate with Low German benedden (“beneath”), Dutch beneden (“beneath, under, down”), obsolete German benieden (“below”).

Across languages

Translations

71 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَحْت (taḥt) — below or underneath
  • Arabic: تحت (taḥt) — below or underneath
  • Catalan: sota — below or underneath
  • Dutch: onder — below or underneath
  • Dutch: beneden — below or underneath
  • Esperanto: sube — below or underneath
  • Finnish: alla — below or underneath
  • French: dessous — below or underneath
  • Galician: abaixo — below or underneath
  • Galician: so — below or underneath
  • Hungarian: lent — below or underneath
  • Hungarian: alul — below or underneath
  • Irish: ar íochtar — below or underneath
  • Italian: sotto — below or underneath
  • Korean: 아래에 (araee) — below or underneath
  • Latin: subtus — below or underneath
  • Latin: subter — below or underneath
  • Polish: pod — below or underneath
  • Polish: poniżej — below or underneath
  • Portuguese: abaixo — below or underneath
  • Portuguese: embaixo — below or underneath
  • Serbo-Croatian: ispod — below or underneath
  • Spanish: bajo — below or underneath
  • Swedish: under — below or underneath
  • Tocharian B: ñor — below or underneath
  • Turkish: altında — below or underneath
  • Ottoman Turkish: آشاغی (aşağı) — below or underneath
  • Ukrainian: під (pid) — below or underneath
  • Ukrainian: ни́жче (nýžče) — below or underneath
  • Arabic: أَسْفَل (ʔasfal) — below
  • Arabic: تحت (taḥt) — below
  • Armenian: տակ (tak) — below
  • Bulgarian: отдолу (otdolu) — below
  • Bulgarian: под (pod) — below
  • Catalan: sota — below
  • Czech: pod — below
  • Dutch: onder — below
  • Esperanto: sub — below
  • Finnish: alla — below
  • Finnish: alapuolella — below
  • French: sous — below
  • German: unter — below
  • Ancient Greek: ὑπό (hupó) — below
  • Hungarian: alatt — below
  • Hungarian: alá — below
  • Irish: faoi bhun — below
  • Latin: sub — below
  • Marathi: खाली (khālī) — below
  • Norwegian: under — below
  • Portuguese: embaixo de — below
  • Romanian: sub — below
  • Romanian: dedesubt — below
  • Russian: под (pod) — below
  • Scots: aneath — below
  • Scottish Gaelic: fo — below
  • Serbo-Croatian: ispod — below
  • Serbo-Croatian: pod — below
  • Spanish: bajo de — below
  • Spanish: abajo de — below
  • Ukrainian: під (pid) — below
  • Dutch: onder — to a lower position
  • Finnish: alle — to a lower position
  • Finnish: alapuolelle — to a lower position
  • German: unter — to a lower position
  • Russian: ни́же (níže) — to a lower position
  • Serbo-Croatian: naniže — to a lower position
  • Ukrainian: ни́жче (nýžče) — to a lower position
  • Dutch: onder — concealed or covered up
  • Finnish: alla — concealed or covered up
  • Hungarian: alatt — concealed or covered up
  • Serbo-Croatian: pokriven — concealed or covered up
Real reading context

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