Un′der‐lie″ (?), v. t. [AS. underlicgan. See Under, and Lie to be prostrate.] 1. To lie under; to rest beneath; to be situated under; as, a stratum of clay underlies the surface gravel.
2. To be at the basis of; to form the foundation of; to support; as, a doctrine underlying a theory.
3. To be subject or amenable to.
The knight of Ivanhoe... underlies the challenge of Brian der Bois Guilbert. Sir W. Scott.