nether-

prefix

low, lower, below, under, beneath.

“netherman”

OriginMiddle English nither- ← Old English niþer- →
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Meanings

prefix
  1. low, lower, below, under, beneath.

    nethergarment, netherling, netherlook, nethermind, netherverse, netherworld

  2. inferiority or baseness.

    netherman

Origin

  1. Old Englishniþer-
  2. Middle Englishnither-
  3. Englishnether-

From Middle English nither-, neother-, from Old English niþer- (prefix), from niþer (“below, beneath, down, downwards, lower, in an inferior position”). Cognate with Dutch neder-, neer- (“down”), German nieder- (“down”). More at nether.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

nether-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nether-

MLA

“nether-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nether-. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nether-,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nether-.

Source: nether- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.