underdo
Appearance
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Middle English underdon, from Old English underdōn (“to put under”), from Proto-Germanic *under + *dōną (“to put”). Equivalent to under- + do. Cognate with German unterthun (“to put under, subject”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Verb
[edit]underdo (third-person singular simple present underdoes, present participle underdoing, simple past underdid, past participle underdone)
- (transitive) To do something insufficiently; especially, to undercook.
- Antonyms: overdo; (of foods) overcook
- Sorry to say, I've underdone the pot roast. I think we'd better put it back in the oven for a bit.
- Sorry to say, I've underdone the downspout repair. I think we'd better hire someone to replace the whole thing.
- (transitive) To do less than is requisite.
- Near-synonyms: (of tasks) half-ass, shortchange, phone in
- We warned him not to underdo it. This customer expects attention to detail.
- (intransitive, uncommon) To act below one's abilities; do less than one can.
- Near-synonyms: underachieve, slack off
- (transitive, obsolete) To put under, subject.
Anagrams
[edit]Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms prefixed with under-
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with uncommon senses
- English terms with obsolete senses