Meanings
plural underkings · alternative under-king
- An inferior or subordinate king; a viceroy.
Bede himself used it in this context, among others, referring for example to Peada, Penda's son and the underking of the Middle Saxons, as a princeps.
1995, N. J. Higham, An English Empire2 more examples
From the Johore capital on the island of Pulau Penyengat in the Riau Archipelago, where Parani's brother became "underking" to a puppet Malay sultan, the Bugis extended their control over the tin negeri of Kedah and Perak, [...]
1987, David P. Chandler, David Joel Steinberg, In Search of Southeast Asia“I am an advisor in his role as an InterSec director, Lord Guardian, not his counselor as underKing to the Inverni.” Aran made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “A distinction without a difference. [...]”
2010, Mark Del Franco, Face Off
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*underkuningaz
- Proto-West Germanic*underkuning
- Old Englishundercing
- Middle Englishunderking
- Englishunderking
From Middle English underking, from Old English undercing, undercyning (“under-king, viceroy”), possibly from Proto-West Germanic *underkuning, from Proto-Germanic *underkuningaz, equivalent to under- + king. Cognate with Dutch onderkoning (“viceroy”), German Unterkönig (“underking”), Danish underkonge (“underking”), Swedish underkung (“underking”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
underking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underking
“underking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underking. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “underking,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underking.
Source: underking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.