undershift

U1N1D2E1R1S1H4I1F4T1
/ˈʌndə(ɹ)ˌʃɪft//ˌʌndə(ɹ)ˈʃɪft/

noun

An unfitted undergarment that covers the torso.

Scrabble 17

Meanings

nounundershift (plural undershifts)

plural undershifts

  1. An unfitted undergarment that covers the torso.

    She would make a tiny pocket in an undershift. Even boys wore undershifts, though theirs were shorter than the knee-length ones girls wore.

    2011, Sheri S. Tepper, The Waters Rising, →ISBN
    3 more examples

    The statement of Abeng and Tucdaden that when they buried the cadaver, this only had on an undershift and drawers (camiseta-calsoncillo), without uniform, nor boots, nor cap, nor other pieces of adornment, which is duly confirmed by the testimonies of the other witnesses and by the reports of the war correspondents who where present in the battle.

    1985, Isaac C. Cruz, General Gregorio H. Del Pilar: Idol of the Revolution, page 137

    She took the candle from him and placed it upon the desk, moving with measured grace, as a young girl might before her lover, a flowing, dancing motional set, allowing the undershift to swirl about her, and standing afterward so that the light from the candle would shine through the undershift, suggesting much and revealing nothing.

    2006, M. A. Foster, The Book of The Ler, →ISBN

    There was Sister Marie, who had cried for her lord father, and Sister Custance, who had forgotten to wear an undershift and was sent back to the dormitory to dress properly.

    2014, Marion Meade, Stealing Heaven: The Love Story of Heloise and Abelard, →ISBN
  2. hobbiesThe strategy or act of positioning defensive players extra far toward the offense's weak side.

    In an overshift or undershift the spacing of the linemen should be over one "full man" from the normal.

    1949, Herbert Orin Crisler, Modern football: fundamentals and strategy, page 193
    2 more examples

    Do they employ an undershift? Overshift? If they do undershift or overshift the line, is it a half-man or full-man over- shift or undershift?

    1955, Robert C. MacKenzie, Football Scouting, page 54

    "Everyone who plays four linemen ends up in an overshift or undershift," says Phillips, "and that makes the same alignment we're playing to start with.

    1976, Jack T. Clary, The Gamemakers, page 185
  3. chemistryThe amount of displacement in the layers in a crystal lattice that places the layers too close together.

    The protruding basal oxygens are themselves displaced slightly in the x-direction so that the shift required is either 0.4 + δÅ (overshift) or 0.4 -δ Å (undershift).

    1983, Leslie Michaels, Seymour S. Chissick, R. Derricott, Asbestos, properties, applications, and hazards, →ISBN, page 114
    1 more example

    In the structure of chrysotile 2M_(c1) illustrated in Figure 7.6 is approximately 0.1 Å, and so overshift is 0.5 Å and the undershift is 0.3 Å, occurring in successive layers to produce a two-layer unit cell with B = 93.3°.

    1988, Sturges W. Bailey, Reviews in Mineralogy - Volume 19, page 105
  4. engineeringA misalignment resulting from failure to shift gears far enough.
    1 more example

    Briefly, in the invention, the shift mechanism is incorporated into the handlebar stem, a positive push-pull type cam mechanism is provided for actuating the rear derailleur, undershift and overshift is prevented to eliminate chain "jump off", and the device can be shifted with the bicycle standing still.

    1981, H Ross, Single lever 10-speed bicycle shifter - US Patent 4,279,174
  5. A change that results in something being not being moved far enough or too few things being moved.
  6. geographyAn underhang caused by seismic shift.

    The forming of shifts and undershifts is activated by frequent quakes.

    1964, Bhabesh Chandra Roy, Report of the twenty-second session, India, 1964
verbundershift (third-person singular simple present undershifts, present participle undershifting, simple past and past participle undershifted)

present singular third person undershifts · participle present undershifting · participle past undershifted · past undershifted

  1. hobbiesTo position defensive players too far in a particular direction.

    If they are in doubt just where they should go, they should always overshift rather than undershift.

    1930, Edward Dana Caulkins, Intimate Talks with Great Coaches, page 57
    2 more examples

    Do they employ an undershift? Overshift? If they do undershift or overshift the line, is it a half-man or full-man over- shift or undershift?

    1955, Robert C. MacKenzie, Football Scouting, page 54

    In addition, overshifting to one side and undershifting to the other may be used as a defensive plan to meet personnel or field problems.

    1962, David M. Nelson, Football; Principles and Play, page 39
  2. engineeringTo undershoot when changing gears.

    Since it is easy to undershift or overshift, each lever must be adjusted manually to its optimal position on the cog or chainring.

    1990, Norman D. Ford, Keep on pedaling: the complete guide to adult bicycling, page 194
  3. To move too small an amount or not to move something far enough.

    The use of the incorrect factor resulted in an undershift to ERAF.

    1998, State of California Property Tax Apportionments Calendar Year 1997
  4. economicsTo raise the price to consumers by less than an underlying cost increase that results from rising taxes.

    Concavity of demand leads to undershifting and sufficient convexity to overshifting.

    1995, Gareth D. Myles, Public Economics, →ISBN, page 363
    3 more examples

    However, according to Kay and Keen (1991), neither undershifting of both taxes, nor overshifting of both, is a plausible scenario under the quality model.

    2003, Public Relations Review: A Journal of Research and Comment

    Whether this indirect effect causes an overshifting or undershifting of price depends upon the level of spillovers.

    2007, Patrick W. Barnes, Economic Perspectives on Innovation and Invention, →ISBN, page 34

    With a linear demand curve, 0 η =, the monopolist always undershifts the tax, as shown in the first part of Figure 3.2.

    2007, Essays on Taxation, →ISBN, page 59

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

undershift. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undershift

MLA

“undershift.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undershift. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “undershift,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undershift.

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