"underlying" in the verb sense
1. underlie
be or form the base for
2. underlie
lie underneath
"underlying" in the adjective sense
1. implicit in, inherent, underlying
in the nature of something though not readily apparent
"shortcomings inherent in our approach"
"an underlying meaning"
2. underlying
located beneath or below
3. fundamental, rudimentary, underlying
being or involving basic facts or principles
"the fundamental laws of the universe"
"a fundamental incompatibility between them"
"these rudimentary truths"
"underlying principles"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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