belowadv.prep.n.adj.

Brit.

/bᵻˈləʊ/, U.S.

/bəˈloʊ/,

/biˈloʊ/

Forms: late Middle English bilooghe, late Middle English–1500s bylowe, late Middle English–1600s beloue, 1500s beeloe, 1500s bylow, 1500s–1600s beloe, 1500s–1600s belowe, 1500s– below, 1700s belaw (English regional (Northumberland)), 1700s bellow.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: be- prefix, low adj.

Etymology: < be- prefix + low adj. Compare earlier beneath adv. and beneath prep. (and see note at beneath prep. on the history of usage of under , beneath , and below ). Compare also alow adv.¹With the pair alow adv.¹ and below adv. compare earlier afore adv. and before adv. In use as adjective probably after above n. 3; compare earlier below-mentioned adj.

A. adv.

I. Expressing position in or movement to a lower place.

1. In a lower place, at a lesser elevation; in or on the lower part, lowermost surface, etc., of something.In quot. 1485 forming a compound preposition with of, equivalent in meaning to sense B. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > low position > [adverb] > low down or below

anunderOE

nethenOE

underneathc1000

beneath?c1225

theredown1297

alowc1400

belowc1400

at-lowa1500

aneath?1800

ablow1829

underfoot1886

c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 116 And syþen on lenþe bilooghe ledez inogh.

1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) iii. ix. sig. evi^v Syr Tor smote hym thurgh the sheld by lowe of the sheld that it wente thorow the coost of the knyyt.

1526 Grete Herball cxliv. sig. I.iiii/1 Agaynst flux of floures aboue measure in women put all these thynges bylowe in lyke maner.

1567 G. Turberville in A. Chalmers Eng. Poets (1810) II. 616/2 It makes the Oke to overlooke the slender shrubs bylow.

1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §205 To Men standing below on the Ground, those that be on the Top of Pauls, seeme much lesse then they are.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 107 The Waters..belching from below Black Sands, as from a forceful Engine throw.

1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite i. 218 Then look'd below, and from the Castle's height Beheld a..pleasing sight.

1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. iv. 67 The child..leaped from her arms into the flood below.

1842 Ld. Tennyson Poems (new ed.) I. 116 From below Sweet gales, as from deep gardens, blow.

1945 Prairie Schooner 19 16 The clerks had a habit of throwing things downstairs without looking, and hollering afterward, ‘Look out below!’

1978 W. B. McCloskey Highliners (1980) xii. 139 As they gripped his arms, the boat surged up and the float anchored below cracked apart.

2012 Independent 18 July 40/4 We peered over the edge of the boats at vast forests of kelp and the ghost white wisps of moon jellyfish below.

a. Under heaven; on earth. Frequently in here below. Now somewhat archaic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > earth > [adverb] > on earth

beneatha1300

below the moonc1300

under the moon (also anunder moon)c1300

below?1520

?1520 J. Rastell Nature .iiii. Element sig. A.iv These .iiij. elementis here below Whose effectis dayly appere here at eye.

1560 A. L. tr. J. Calvin Serm. Songe Ezechias i. 16 God faileth not to send down certein beames hither by lowe to lighten vs.

1630 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. §xiii It matters not, O God, how I am vexed here below a while.

a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 15 That Elephant may differ so From those upon the Earth below.

1701 F. Atterbury Serm. House of Commons 7 We are so apt to forget God's Administration of the great Affairs below, when they go on evenly and regularly.

1764 O. Goldsmith Traveller 4 Where to find that happiest spot below.

1820 J. Keats Lamia i, in Lamia & Other Poems 19 Finer spirits cannot breathe below In human climes.

1891 E. Arnold Light of World i. 67 Was't, then, Apollo, masquing here below?

1946 M. E. Boylan This Tremendous Lover (1947) xxiv. 360 All else we achieve here below will either rot in the grave, or else will be burned away in the crucible of purgatory.

2012 Hudson Rev. 64 399 I imagined them as happy, the dead, happy..to be reunited with those whom they loved here below.

b. Under the earth; in the underworld, in hell. Now somewhat archaic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > structure of the earth > [adverb] > subterranean

below1555

underground1598

below ground1617

subterraneously1764

underfoot1841

subterraneanly1859

the world > the supernatural > deity > hell > [adverb] > under the earth or in hell

beneath1340

below1555

1555 R. Sherry Treat. Figures Gram. & Rhetorike f. li Howe doeth the childe Ascanius, is he on the earth? doth he eate the breath Ethereal? doth he not yet lye belowe in the cruel dark places?

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iv. i. 31 Or Phœbus Steeds are founderd, Or Night kept chain'd below .

1663 A. Cowley Cutter of Coleman-St. iv. vi. 48 He's Dead long since, and gon to the Blackamores below.

1714 T. Tickell Poet. Misc. 175 Prosp'rous Traitors gnash their Teeth below.

1793 T. Hastings Regal Rambler iv. 53 The purport of their prayer was, that the powers above, or below..would be pleased to inspire the dying man that instant.

1813 J. Hogg Queen's Wake ii. xi. 149 Macgregor would dive to the mansions below.

1842 R. H. Barham Bloudie Jacke in Ingoldsby Legends 2nd Ser. 184 They say she is now leading apes, and mends Bachelors' small-clothes below.

1920 Open Court Jan. 47 From the battlements of Heaven they could look down upon the torments of the damned below.

1998 Furrow 49 434 Look at him now, being comforted in the bosom of Abraham while the fat cat is banished to the torments below!

3. Further down a slope; downstream.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > [adverb] > lower down

beneath1393

below1549

the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [adverb] > downstream

downstream1591

beneath1650

below1810

downriver1820

1549 W. Baldwin Canticles of Salomon ii. sig. c.i^v These vallies among below Whome hilles set aloft, doe hyde.

?1552 V. Leigh Pleasaunt Playne & Pythye Pathewaye sig. Ciii^v To a neighbours house, who dwelleth here by lowe.

1645 in H. M. Burt First Cent. Hist. Springfield (1898) I. 164 The Brooks in y^e longe meddow..and y^e Brooke a little below on y^e other side.

1682 G. Wheler Journey into Greece vi. 441 Even those that dwell below in the Town, have Houses also in the Castle.

1722 in T. S. Willan Early Hist. Don Navigation (1965) 58 I propose..that all boats that come from below shall go no higher.

1810 T. Jefferson Corr. (1830) 151 She expected..a British fleet from below.

1845 W. G. Simms Wigwam & Cabin 1st Ser. 16 There's ne'er a house either above or below for a matter of fifteen miles.

1942 L. D. Rich We took to Woods vii. 200 The boss has had the gate raised a few inches to warn any fishermen who may be on the river below that they'd better high-tail it for the bank.

1991 S. Winchester Pacific (1992) 393 Those who live in this Albany are awakened each oriental morning by the cries of the red-cheeked gibbons..who live in the small botanical garden and zoo just below.

a. Downstairs; spec. in or into the basement, in which the servants' quarters are located, as distinct from the private rooms of a household. Cf. below stairs adv.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [adverb] > floor or storey

below1562

downstairs1598

below stairs1600

above stairs1606

upstairs1781

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > suite of rooms > [adverb] > in servants' quarters

below stairs1600

below1859

1562 A. Brooke tr. M. Bandello Tragicall Hist. Romeus & Iuliet f. 78^v Then they by certaine steppes descend, where they do fynd below [Fr. où ils trouuerent] In clasped armes ywrapt the husband and the wyfe.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. ii. 140 There's one Master Broome below would faine speake with you.

1632 R. Brome Northern Lasse iv. v. sig. K2^v Shee will haue to doe with you aboue, if you speak not with her below. I had much a doe to keepe her downe stayres.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 269. ¶1 A Man below desired to speak with me.

1773 H. Mackenzie Man of World II. xvi. 154 Somebody from below cried, Robert.

1859 G. Meredith Ordeal Richard Feverel II. vi. 88 This Adonis of the lower household was a mighty man below.

1866 ‘M. Twain’ in B. Taper Mark Twain's San Francisco (2003) 188 A servant girl was needed.., and the bell was rung for her several times without effect. Madame went below to see what the matter was.

1938 Fire-protective Constr. on Farm (U.S. Dept. Agric. Farmers' Bull. No. 1590) (rev. ed.) 5 Hot, gas-laden air from below rushes up the stairway.

1965 G. Jones Island of Apples iii. iii. 197 At nine o'clock..I had my supper, a packet of dragees and a cup of water from the bathroom on the floor below.

2012 National Trust Mag. Spring 48/2 Visitors love to see the contrast between the gentry and the glamour of ‘upstairs’ and the lives of the servants below.

b. In or into the space below the main deck of a vessel. Frequently in to go below. Cf. below decks adv., below deck adv.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > bottom or part under water > [adverb]

alow1509

underboard1588

below?1650

?1650 Noble Fisher-man (single sheet) The French man fell [d]owne on the ship hatch and under the hatches down below.

1759 London Mag. May 247/2 The men instructed to go below..soon as they went aboard.

1788 C. Dibdin Musical Tour xxxv. 142 I began to think, with the sailors below, that there was certainly a chance of ‘our being capsized’.

1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxiii. 68 It being the turn of our watch to go below.

1883 E. F. Knight Cruise of ‘Falcon’ I. iii. 30 I had to call up the watch below to muzzle the sail.

1932 M. Major in J. F. Dobie Tone Bell Easy (1965) 163 While we poor sailors were ripping up aloft And the landlords were lying down below.

1976 ‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Nanny Bird xv. 200 Order one of your puking friends to go below.

2012 H. E. Wasdin & S. Templin SEAL Team Six Outcasts 158 Cat came up from below and said, ‘We're sinking.’

5. With regard to writing: further down on the current page; later in the text; in a subsequent paragraph, passage, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > below or hereafter (in a later part of a book, etc.)

hereafterc900

aftereOE

innermorea1387

under1389

underneath1389

hereunder1425

below1645

beneath1668

post1688

infra1740

overleaf1742

therein after1818

over1893

1645 J. Graunt Christians Liberty to Lords Table Introd. 1 The knowledge of the truth moved mee to write these eight Arguments, below specified.

1694 W. Salmon Iatrica i. v. 292/1 He may use the pills below described.

1749 J. G. Cooper Life Socrates p. viii All controverted Points are discussed, and abstruse Passages or seeming Contradictions explained below in the Notes.

1788 W. Gordon Hist. Independence U.S.A. I. i. 44 The famous declaratory act of William and Mary, which you will find mentioned below.

1807 F. Wrangham Serm. Transl. Script. 38 The ‘passages’, alluded to below, have been quoted almost to satiety.

1863 A. J. Horwood Yearbks. 30 & 31 Edward I Pref. 29 The forms subjoined in the note below.

1930 Amer. Jrnl. Philol. 51 96 Concerning the absence of the rhetorical point of view in the early romances, see below, note 10.

1968 New Eng. Jrnl. Med. 18 Apr. 876/1 In the three cases reported below, the onset of coma..was so rapid that the diagnosis of metabolic coma was not initially entertained.

2005 Billboard 12 Feb. 13 (advt.) Simply type the web address below into your Internet browser.

II. figurative and in extended use.

6. In or to a lower rank, position, etc.; in or to a position of lesser authority.

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1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. iv. f. 30 Enuie..in a moment hoisteth vp him whiche was belowe, and poizeth downe againe him that was exalted.

1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 130 The generalls disdaind, By him one step below .

1676 R. Dixon Nature Two Test. ii. vii. 562 The grand Nephew and grand Neeces son and daughter are the fourth degree below.

1766 J. Entick Surv. London in New Hist. London IV. 47 The secondary, whose office is to return writs, mark warrants, impannel juries for the courts both above and below.

1834 Examiner 27 July 467/2 No class above labour in England rests satisfied with the repute proper to it—..each is clambering into the class above, and spurning the class below.

1882 Times 15 Mar. 9/3 It was impossible for Alexander II to resist the pressure from below in 1877.

1947 V. Bonham Carter in E. Barker Char. of Eng. ix. 231 Everyone knows his exact position in [public school] society. He is either a member of the nobility,..or of the middle classes who organize public opinion, or of the inarticulate masses below.

2002 Essex Chron. (Nexis) 11 Oct. 69 Obviously we want to be at least sixth place or above next year (the three teams below are relegated).

7. Falling short of something in quantity, amount, or value; less than a stated amount.

a. After and or or.

ΚΠ

1650 C. Elderfield Civil Right Tythes xix. 128/1 Touching Lambs, we appoint that for sixe and below, so many half pence.

1817 in Mechanics' Mag. (1824) 9 Oct. 39/2 The engines which work with a pressure of seven pounds and below need only a second safety valve.

1936 R. S. Glasgow Princ. Radio Engin. xiv. 500 Wave lengths of 200 meters and below had been assigned in the United States to amateur radio operators.

1980 Times of India 30 Apr. 11/4 Almost half the 56 competitors are ten and below.

2001 P. Moore 2002 Yearbk. Astron. iii. 274 Predicted dates of maxima for Mira stars that reach magnitude 7.5 or below at an average maximum.

b. Under zero degrees on a temperature scale; esp. under zero degrees Celsius, lower than freezing point; (also) (chiefly U.S.) under zero degrees Fahrenheit. Cf. above adv. 11c.The part of speech in quot. 1780 is unclear.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > measurement of temperature > [adverb] > above or below zero

below1793

above1944

1780 E. Macfait New Syst. Gen. Geogr. 258 + signifies degrees, in Fahrenheit's thermometer, above the cypher, - degrees below.]

1793 T. Jefferson Let. Dec. in Papers (1997) XXVII. 608 The cold here this morning is at 13.° below.

1841 Pennsylvania Inquirer & Daily Courier 13 Jan. In February, last year, it fell to twenty-six below.

1896 W. D. Howells Impressions & Experiences 9 The frosts of ten and twenty below.

1904 M. E. Waller Wood-carver ii. 82 [It was] twenty-seven below this morning.

1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 17 Feb. 1/6 The predicted high [temperature] for Elliot Lake today is 5 below; the low tonight 20 below.

2014 T. McCulloch Stillman 6 Been eight or nine below for over a week.

B. prep.

I. Expressing position in or movement to a lower place.

1. At a lesser elevation than; falling, appearing, or situated lower than.For earlier use of the adverb in a compound preposition having this sense, see quot. 1485 at sense A. 1.

ΚΠ

c1565 ‘T. C.’ tr. G. Boccaccio Galesus Cymon & Iphigenia sig. A.v^v She was girtte, below the waste [It. dalla cintura in giù], with Lynnen, white as Skies.

1645 R. Portman Soules Life x. 43 Sometimes it [sc. an infant] falls downe the staires to the ground, and then againe into a pit below the ground.

1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ii. 30 The screw-plate will after it gets a little below the tapering go no further.

1723 Free Masons 16 Ev'ry Turn-key has a Taste Of what lies hid below her Waste.

1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho II. iii. 122 The sun now sunk below the horizon, twilight fell over the landscape.

1848 M. Somerville Physical Geogr. II. xxii. 77 Immediately below the snow-line.

1855 J. L. Motley Rise Dutch Republic Hist. Introd. i. 2 A district lying partly below the level of the ocean.

1924 C. E. Mulford Rustlers' Valley xxvi. 283 Now and then searching bullets clipped and sung below him.

1969 Bensenville (Illinois) Reg. 31 Dec. ii. 1/5 Nothing is as obnoxious as watching a girl parade down the street with garters protruding below her skirt.

2002 M. Kurlansky Salt (2003) xxii. 355 The lowest point on earth, 1,200 feet below sea level..is a vanishing natural wonder: the Dead Sea.

a. Directly beneath; under the covering or canopy of. Cf. below ground adv., adj., and n.More usually expressed by under, beneath.

ΚΠ

1567 G. Turberville Epitaphes, Epigrams f. 103 Bylowe the Lampe of Phœbus light.

1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries ii. f. 68 Below the Scaffolde was the knight Marshall carrying a red wande in his hande.

1595 W. Lisle tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Babilon 34 Th' all-destroying flood below the ground supprest.

a1616 W. Shakespeare King Lear (1623) v. iii. 128 To the discent and dust below thy foote.

1651 tr. J. A. Comenius Nat. Philos. Reformed viii. 138 A small portion of air thrust down below the water.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 136 From her Mossy Bow'r below the Ground.

1719 I. Watts Psalms of David 305 From all that dwell below the Skies.

1784 W. Russell Hist. Mod. Europe IV. xxx. 401 The Canadians and Indians..squatted below bushes, or skulked behind trees.

1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus i. iii. 8/2 Books lay on tables, and below tables.

1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xii. 18 Some dolorous message knit below The wild pulsation of her wings.

1876 C. H. Davis Narr. North Polar Exped. Ship Polaris x. 245 A large tongue of ice below the water was forced under the bows of the vessel.

1885 R. L. Stevenson Child's Garden of Verses 4 Where below another sky Parrot islands anchored lie.

1936 Scotsman 27 July 7/7 The large crowd..sought shelter below a sea of umbrellas.

1977 Times 2 Nov. 3 (advt.) Our job is to get information about..oil-bearing rock..below the sea bed.

2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 10 Apr. v. 9/1 (advt.) Spend the day trekking below the leafy canopy as howler monkeys swing about.

b. Deeper than.

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a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) ii. vii. 191 Great quantities of subterraneous Woods, lying 10 and 20 Ells below the Superficies of the Ground.

1778 W. Pryce Mineralogia Cornubiensis 81 The Sough or Adit being one hundred fathoms below the surface.

1848 M. Somerville Physical Geogr. II. xxii. 66 The ground is perpetually frozen at a very small depth below the surface.

1884 G. J. Symons Brit. Rainfall 21 That water is usually about 3 ft. below the surface of the ground.

1949 A. E. Trueman Geol. & Scenery Eng. & Wales xiv. 200 Its deepest part is over fifty feet below sea-level.

2015 Esquire Jan. 86/1 A slab-on-grade pit seventy feet below street level.

3. Further down a slope than; downstream from.

ΚΠ

1568 C. Watson tr. Polybius Hystories f. 67^v This Erix is a mounte within Scicilie... A little below the top [L. infra verticem], there is a Citie of the same name.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. iii. 95 At the consecrated Fount, A League below, the Citie.

1670 S. Bull Let. 12 Sept. in L. Cheves Shaftesbury Papers (2000) 193 Wee have chosen in the River Above & below the Towne our greate Lotts.

1732 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) I. 376 Below the house and between the lakes is a little copsewood which is cut into vistas and serpentine walks.

1759 L. Wood Jrnl. 16 June in Hist. Coll. Essex Inst. (1882) XIX. 67 We Travelled from Half moon to the Place Called The 3 mile house Bellow Stillwater.

1803 M. Culley Let. 26 Dec. in M. Culley & G. Culley Farming Lett. (2006) 570 You should put in a sluice or dam in the well springs immediately below the ford.

1872 J. Ruskin Fors Clavigera II. xiv. 11 Below the village, the valley opens..into a broad flat meadow.

1930 A. Ransome Swallows & Amazons i. 15 Below the farm at Holly Howe the field sloped steeply to a little bay where there was a boathouse and a jetty.

2000 N. Jans Tracks of Unseen 6 Stretched across a sandy rise just below the confluence of the Kobuk and Ambler Rivers.

4. At a dinner, banquet, etc.: nearer to the foot of the table, or to a seat occupied by the lowest-ranking person present, than. Now chiefly historical.below the salt: see salt n.¹ 7b.In quot. 1607 in figurative context.

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1574 T. Tymme tr. J. de Serres Three Partes Comm. Ciuill Warres Fraunce ii. 161 The Princes denying to sitte belowe the Cardinalls.

1607 R. Parker Scholasticall Disc. against Antichrist iv. xvi. 195 Must not prayer giue place to sitt below it [sc. preaching]?

1652 F. Whyte For Sacred Law of Land iii. 289 The Lord Chancellour..is the first man. The great Chamberlain of England, Constable, Marshil, and Amiral are to sit below him.

1723 P. Davall tr. Cardinal de Retz Memoirs IV. v. 39 He imbraced me with one Arm, and Lomelini, who was seated below him with the other.

1763 Cantabrigia Depicta 21 Semicircular Seats..for the Heads, Noblemen, and Doctors: Below them sit the Regents.

1854 Sharpe's London Mag. July 278/2 Clarinda sat below him, with some persons placed between them.

1886 Independent (N.Y.) 4 Mar. 4/2 At a dinner where an American Senator was the honored guest, Lord Houghton was willing to sit below him.

1964 U. K. Le Guin in T. Shippey Oxf. Bk. Sci. Fiction (1992) 324 She looked down the hall and saw, in seats far below hers,..the gleam and flash of precious stones.

2000 C. Hibbert Queen Victoria (2001) vii. 56 The Duchess..was placed at table below the Queen's aunts.

5. To the south of; lower in latitude than.

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1612 J. Speed Theatre of Empire of Great Brit. i. xxxvii. 71/1 From Wooferton below Lodlane South, to Ouer neere vnto the Riuer Trent in the North, is thirtie foure miles.

1787 S. S. Smith Ess. Causes of Variety Complexion & Figure 4 Immediately below the arctic circle a high and sanguine colour prevails.

a1827 H. M. Williams tr. A. von Humboldt Personal Narr. Trav. (1829) VII. 288 The gales of Saint Martha..blow with great violence at that season below 12° of latitude.

1933 S. Walker Night Club Era 202 Below Forty-second Street the garment trades..have steadily inched their way northward.

2002 N. Walker Blackbox (2003) 3 He's thinking of dead calm and slow moving surface winds, Horse Latitudes, above and below the equator, where sailing boats flounder.

6. At a lower level than (the top surface or outer layer of something); on the underside of; within, inside.More usually expressed by under, beneath.

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1645 J. Downame Ann. Old & New Test. xiii. v. 2 The first sort of leprosie observed, which is discerned by the white colour of the haire, and the degree of inherence of it below the skinne.

1789 Weekly Entertainer 19 Jan. 57 The others cried out, that he had got armour below his clothes, which was indeed the case.

1824 J. Hogg Private Mem. Justified Sinner 211 His hands were clasped behind his back, and below his coat.

1921 C. C. Gow Electro-metallurgy of Steel ix. 171 The body of steel immediately below the top crust formed will..be protected from further rapid loss of heat.

2015 US Official News (Nexis) 11 Feb. A cage crinoline below the skirt eliminated the need for several layers of heavy petticoats.

7. With regard to writing: further down on the current page than; later in the text than; in a subsequent paragraph, passage, etc., to.The part of speech in quot. 1613 is unclear.

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1613 W. B. tr. S. Michaelis Admirable Hist. Penitent Woman 161 Then hee signed it [sc. a letter],..and a good distance below it was written. I Magdalene of Demandoul doe testifie..that all which is written in this letter is true.]

1655 S. Fisher Christianismus Redivivus 21 Some few lines below this you relate thus.

1743 J. Barclay Treat. Educ. v. 84 Below the simple verbs are translated into English all the useful rules.

1858 W. Holdsworth Law of Wills i. 13 No signature will give effect to any disposition or direction which is inserted below or after it in point of place.

1880 Times 13 Sept. 4/2 Each of the Commissioners has signed his name below that of the Duke of Cambridge as a matter of course.

1939 N. Waln Reaching for Stars 327 Another hand had written below the bold letters, in a delicate script..: ‘Et tu, Brute.’

2014 S. King Revival (2015) x. 299 I..read the note Jacobs had added below her address.

II. figurative and in extended use.

8. Lower in pitch than; lower on a musical scale than.

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1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke ii. 76 If you would sing the descant part fifteene notes lower, then will it goe wel in the eight below the plainesong.

1611 J. Maynard XII. Wonders of World sig. I You must set your Base Violl a note below your Lute.

1659 C. Simpson Division-violist ii. 21 The Compasse..extends, from a Fourth, or Fifth below Gamut, to as much above Ela.

1731 P. Prelleur Mod. Musick-Master III. 9 Anticipated by one Note below the Note on which we design to make it.

1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music An embellishment..consisting of the note on which the turn is made, the note above it, and the semitone below it.

1866 H. B. Stowe Little Foxes 115 If a piano is tuned to exact concert pitch, the majority of voices must fall below it.

1880 W. H. Stone in G. Grove Dict. Music I. 458 Double bassoon..in pitch an octave below the ordinary bassoon.

1955 Sci. Monthly Apr. 219/1 The strike note was about an octave below the fifth partial tone of the bell.

1989 P. van der Merwe Origins Pop. Style (1992) xvi. 136 The initial grace-note a third below the tonic.

2011 N.Y. Mag. 27 June 143/2 A method of playing notes below the open-G string without lowering the violin's tuning.

9. Lower in degree or quality than; inferior to.

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1599 S. Daniel Let. from Octavia Ep. Ded. in Poet. Ess. The meaner sort (whose thoughts are plac'd As in another region, far below The Sphere of greatnesse).

1649 W. Charleton tr. J. van Helmont Ternary of Paradoxes 125 It is of a materiall condition, and farre below the finenesse of a spirituall nature.

1718 H. Felton Diss. Reading Classics (ed. 3) 128 His Idylliums of Theocritus are as much below his Manilius, as the Fields are below the Stars.

1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. viii. 69 The finest strokes..are much below those in the Acis and Galatea of Ovid.

1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 104 So far is the lightest heart below True happiness.

1847 T. B. Macaulay Let. in G. O. Trevelyan Life & Lett. Macaulay (1876) II. xi. 232 How far my performance is below excellence.

1871 H. R. Haweis Music & Morals cxcvi. 524 We place Italy and France below Germany.

1947 Classical Weekly 20 Oct. 26/1 Comenius..had heard excellent reports of Bathe's book but found it below his expectations.

1960 F. Land Lang. Math. xiv. 253 Its reliability was below the acceptable level.

2001 Guardian 16 Apr. i. 20/3 When productivity is measured properly, Japan ranks below the UK.

10. Unworthy of, unbefitting to; = beneath prep. 7a.

ΚΠ

1602 F. Beaumont tr. Ovid Salmacis & Hermaphroditus sig. C4^v But he did find him farre below his birth, Drinking with theeues and catch-poles on the earth.

1637 J. Cestrien Let. 10 Nov. in W. Prynne New Discov. Prelates Tyranny (1641) ii. 223 It is much below me to be an Informer.

1695 R. Blackmore Prince Arthur Pref. sig. A 'Tis below the Dignity of a true Poet to take his Aim at any inferiour End.

1712 R. Steele Tatler No. 522. ⁋2 A man..of birth and estate below no woman to accept.

1743 J. Barclay Treat. Educ. 36 Such things some may reckon below attention.

1827 H. Hallam Constit. Hist. Eng. I. iii. 153 A compiler..who thinks no fact below his regard.

1883 R. A. Proctor in Knowledge 10 Aug. 94/1 Too far below contempt to be worth castigating.

1924 Fortn. Rev. Dec. 846 This may seem to the reader so obvious as to be below notice.

2011 Y. Edwards Cupboard Full Coats viii. 156 Little things really that shoulda been below me, but I stooped to them anyway just to make the point.

11. Lower in rank or position than; inferior to in authority.to marry below oneself: see marry v. 1c.

ΚΠ

1603 H. Holland Pancharis sig. C10^v Then bade the Queene, that one belowe the State, A stoole for her should set vpon the ground.

a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) ii. ii. 29 From below your Duke, to beneath your Constable.

1668 J. Dryden Secret-love i. iii. 13 I love below myself; a Subject.

1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 49. ⁋7 He..gives his Orders..to the Servants below him.

1751 J. Jortin Serm. (1771) II. iv. 73 Unless he..is sunk below a beast.

1828 C. Lamb Poor Relations in Elia 2nd Ser. 151 No woman dresses below herself from caprice.

1885 J. Martineau Types Ethical Theory I. 275 What he treats as Substance relatively to phenomenal nature below it, he regards as Attribute relatively to a prior infinite nature above it.

1931 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 1 Dec. 12/4 I am keeping my sunny side up by contemplating the misery of the man just below me.

1963 G. Sansom Hist. Japan 1615–1867 i. 21 Below the daimyo in the feudal scale stood the Hatamoto or Bannerman.

2005 N. Gershenfeld FAB 80 ‘Nana’ is an honorific title for a chief; below him are the divisional chiefs and lesser subchiefs.

†12. Under the influence of. Cf. beneath prep. 4. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1605 S. Daniel Certaine Small Poems sig. H5^v What doest thou here with vs That are below thy power, shut from aboue?

1812 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Cantos I & II i. xlvii. 31 His vineyard..Blasted below the dun hot breath of war.

13. Of or at an amount, quantity, or value less than.below par: see par n.¹ 3b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > small of quantity, amount, or degree [preposition] > less than

underc1380

underneath1460

below1625

1625 T. Jackson Treat. Originall of Vnbeliefe lxii. 383 To debase his fidelitie and veracitie below the rate of common honestie.

1721 J. Perry Acct. Stopping Daggenham Breach 30 Having made it sure that no Man else would go below [i.e. underbid] him.

1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. v. 52 The price of gold bullion has fallen below the mint price.

1848 M. Somerville Physical Geogr. II. xxiv. 124 The cold has been 120° below zero.

1884 G. J. Symons Brit. Rainfall 84 The rainfall of this month..is considerably below the average.

1948 G. W. Southgate Eng. Econ. Hist. (new ed.) xxxi. 314 The inhabitants of this country were able to purchase sugar at a price which was below the cost of production.

1972 Accountant 5 Oct. 409/1 The annual rate of inflation may be reduced below the level of pay awards.

2008 P. Hensher Northern Clemency 40 Bernie..was stuck between lorries, thundering along at a frustrating ten miles an hour below the speed limit.

†14. Beyond the authority, influence, or reach of on account of humble or low status; too lowly to be affected by. Cf. above prep. 10a. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1638 J. Hainhofer tr. Secretary of Ladies ii. 17 I..content my selfe by ignorance to be below evil, not being able by Iudgement to lift my selfe above it.

1656 S. Winter Serm. 171 Our superordinanc'd men, that are above ordinances but below pietie.

1797 Ranspach I. xiii. 199 She..secretly congratulated herself on being sprung of a plebian class, below the influence of prejudices, which often painfully counterbalance the boasted superiority of the great.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 168 It is possible to be below flattery as well as above it. One who trusts nobody will not trust sycophants.

†15. Later than, after. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1641 Bp. J. Hall Short Answer Vindic. Smectymnuus 38 Fetching downe the story from Moses to Adrians time, and somewhat below it.

1724 D. Waterland Crit. Hist. Athanasian Creed iv. 56 It will be needless to take notice of any Manuscripts below this Time.

1774 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry I. Dissert. ii The most eminent scholars..before and even below the twelfth century, were educated in our religious houses.

1819 N. F. Moore Remarks on Pronunc. Greek Lang. 17 Even this period brings us four centuries below the era of their highest glory and perfection.

1881 Jrnl. Hellenic Stud. 2 21 We may infer that some reason existed which precluded even the advocates of this view from going below the reign of Croesus.

16. With regard to meaning, attitude, investigation, etc.: on or to a deeper level than.Frequently as part of an extended metaphor with reference to sense B. 2b.

ΚΠ

1690 J. Whiston Right Method for Proving of Infant-baptism 6 A Truth that lies..below the very Surface of the Scriptures.

1795 R. Ramsden Right to Life: Pt. 2 5 It does not appear consistent with our notions of legislation..that so much meaning..should be expressed in words not seeming to teach it, that their real should lie so deep below their apparent import.

1871 in J. Jones Memorials A. E. Jones vi. 387 This call was followed by one or two more, but we did not get below the surface.

1885 W. Thomson in Nature 5 Mar. 409/2 The necessity for study below the surface seems to have been earliest recognised in anatomy.

1931 W. D. Robson-Scott tr. E. Diesel Germany & Germans iv. iv. 216 This mutual distrust is still perceptible below the veneer of bourgeois toleration.

1988 New Orleans Rev. 15 iv. 48/2 The powerful violence that is the price of the ‘universal’ man lurking below the joke.

2014 S. Armstrong-Reid L. Creelman i. 18 Despite her academic achievements, self-doubts lingered below her outward confidence.

C. n.

1. Chiefly formal. With the: the following passage, paragraph, etc.; the person, thing, or set of things mentioned or discussed in the following passage, paragraph, etc.rare in comparison with above n. 3.Quot. 1798 is a postscript added at the head of a letter.

ΚΠ

1798 T. Twining Let. 6–8 Aug. (1991) II. 520 Since I wrote the below, I have heard from my Mother who is quite well.

1869 J. Saunders Hirell III. i. 27 Had the letter—of which the below is a copy—reached only a day sooner, your father would have had it.

1889 A. M. Fleming Capt. Kiddle xviii. 183 The below is a fac-simile of the inscription, one-tenth its original size.

1933 F. M. Ford Let. 8 Mar. (1965) 218 I wrote the below in answer to somebody who said I could not find a rhyme for Closerie des Lilas.

1980 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 12 Mar. When substituting any of the below, alter the liquid measurement of the Basic Whole Wheat Bread recipe accordingly.

2015 J. Witter Little Bk. of Big PR ii. 19 Resend the original email with a note that says, ‘I am following up on the below. Please let me know if you're interested in the story.’

2. A part which is below or underneath; the lower or bottom part of something. Opposed to above n. 2. rare.

ΚΠ

1848 J. B. Stallo Gen. Princ. Philos. Nature ii. 354 The ‘here’ pointed out is first an ‘above’; but next it is not an ‘above’, but a ‘below’, and so on.

1881 S. F. Alleyne in tr. E. Zeller Hist. Greek Philos. I. 317/2 It [sc. this theory] resolves the opposition of the above and the below into that of the outward and inward.

1909 G. W. James Indian Basketry vii. 94 In Zuni, the above—the region of the sky—is symbolized by any and all colors, the below is black.

1986 H. W. Fawkner Ecstatic World J. C. Powys i. 29 Freudianism posits an equator line dividing the mind into an Above and a Below.

D. adj.

Mentioned, described, listed, etc., further down on the present page, or subsequently in the text. Cf. below-mentioned adj.rare in comparison with above adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adjective] > that which follows (in a book, etc.)

following1340

underwritten1389

underfollowing14..

sequent1575

under-mentioned1640

below-mentioned1665

below1822

underhanded1884

postludial1935

1822 Philos. Mag. 59 140 According to the below observations, the thermometer falls one degree for every ascent of 224 feet.

1895 Harper's Weekly 16 Nov. 1099/1 Mr. Blanding takes as his cue the below paragraph.

1931 Michigan Technic Nov. 10/1 The architects..kindly sent the below description of the technique employed by them in this ceiling.

1996 Frank 8 May 3/3 David's many Canadian admirers are invited to visit he and Danielle..at the below address.

2016 M. Sofiev & M. Prank in P. J. Beggs Impacts of Climate Change on Allergens & Allergic Dis. iv. 53 In the below analysis, we shall..make some basic statistics based on meteorological past-time data.

Phrases

P1. below there!: used to attract the attention of, or provide a warning to, people situated at a lower level. Now somewhat rare.Originally and frequently in nautical contexts; cf. sense A. 4b.

ΚΠ

a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Double Marriage ii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) 25/2 Ho, below there: Ho, ho, within. Ley her North-east, and thrust her missen out.

1686 T. D'Urfey Common-wealth of Women ii. i. 11 What, hoa! call up the Boatswain. Holloa—below there!

1715 N. Hamilton Doating Lovers iii. 41 And Cupid's Rod shall scourge you severely—below there.

1757 J. Ilive Reasons offered Reformation House Correction Clerkenwell i. 10 Mr. Freeborn..called up..to the Gatemen, Above there. Who immediately answer'd, Below there.

1832 A. M. Hall Buccaneer III. v. 94 Below there!—turn out the guard, and encircle the ruins!

1896 Bow Bells 6 Mar. 264/2 One man was tying a paint-pot to the rung of the ladder, the cord slipped, down came the pot, the man singing out ‘Below there!’.

1939 Boys' Life Nov. 14/2 The Captain shouted: ‘Below there—more juice!’

1977 D. Pope Ramage's Mutiny xiii. 149 ‘Below there!’ he called in Spanish. ‘Your ship is captured.’

P2. below bridge: (with reference to the Thames) downriver from London Bridge. Now historical and rare.

ΚΠ

1661 Cities Loyalty display'd 4 This Tree [sc. a maypole] was..made below Bridg, and brought in two parts up to Scotland-yard.

1691 T. Hale Acct. New Inventions p. c Below bridge, where the great Scene of Navigation lyes.

1715 J. Kersey Dict. Anglo-Britannicum (ed. 2) Hebberman, one that fishes below Bridge, commonly at ebbing Water, &c.

1877 T. H. Huxley Physiogr. i. 2 The water sweeps down below bridge in the direction of Greenwich.

1906 G. R. Sims Living London (rev. ed.) II. 243/1 There is plenty of pleasure and sport and fun to be obtained below bridge also, and found at Greenwich, Gravesend, Southend, Margate, Ramsgate, and elsewhere.

1998 D. Pool What Jane Austen ate & Charles Dickens Knew (new ed.) 16 From the standpoint of the riverfront, London Bridge really marked the entrance to the city; indeed, directions on the river were frequently given with reference to it as ‘above bridge’ or ‘below bridge.’

P3. below one's breath: see breath n. Phrases 8. below the gangway: see gangway n. 3d.

Compounds

below-cost adj. Finance designating goods sold for less than the cost price; of or relating to goods sold in this way.

ΚΠ

1892 Miller (Minneapolis) 9 Dec. 840/1 The question is, where does all this below cost flour come from? Somebody is certainly losing heavily.

1971 N.Y. Law Jrnl. 23 Nov. 4/2 Big brewers may be..deliberately using below-cost pricing methods to force competitors out of the market.

2005 J. Diamond Collapse (2006) xiii. 413 Indirect government subsidies in the forms of below-cost water, tax concessions, and free telephone linkups.

below-elbow adj. (also below-the-elbow) of, relating to, or involving the part of the arm below the elbow; (also) extending to just below the elbow.

ΚΠ

1883 F. G. Ernst Orthopædic Apparatus 30 A cheap form of apparatus called an ‘arm socket’..is very serviceable in wrist or below-elbow amputations.

1920 Boston Sunday Globe 2 May 57/1 (advt.) The two big pockets and below the elbow sleeves are designed for convenience.

1948 Amarillo (Texas) Globe 14 Sept. 9/1 You wear below-the-elbow gloves, with gold stitching.

2012 M. R. Belsky et al. in M. Carlson Elite Athlete's Hand & Wrist Injury 271/1 A long-arm cast is considered if the patient is either noncompliant or remains painful in the shorter below-elbow cast.

below-knee adj. (also below-the-knee) of, relating to, or involving the part of the leg below the knee; (also) extending to just below the knee.

ΚΠ

1857 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 2 May 384/2 (advt.) For below knee amputations, this invention [sc. an artificial limb] claims great superiority.

1917 U.S. Naval Med. Bull. 11 556 [If] the stump is too short to use a below-knee artificial leg..a kneeling leg will have to be worn.

1957 J. C. Adams Outl. Fractures vi. 225 It is essential that the ligament be protected by a below-knee plaster for not less than eight weeks.

1975 C. Calasibetta Fairchild's Dict. Fashion 50/2 Below-the-knee boot made of buckskin with fringed turned down cuff at top.

2011 N.Y. Times 13 Oct. (Late ed.) e4/5 They carry running skirts to suit all tastes..including a below-the-knee..skirt for the modest.

below-market adj. Finance (of a price, rate, etc.) that is lower than that typically found on the open market.

ΚΠ

1916 Trunks, Leather Goods & Umbrellas Apr. 305/2 He had an article before him for which there was a demand at the time and which he could sell at a below market figure.

1989 S. A. Fox Keys to Incorporating xxii. 87 A related issue is that of below-market loans made to employees and independent contractors.

2009 Honolulu Advertiser 14 Feb. (Business section) b5/1 A Utah developer is..to provide spacious condominiums at below-market prices to buyers contributing sweat equity.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	below
释义	† belowv. Forms: see be- prefix and low adj. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: be- prefix, low v.² Etymology: < be- prefix + low v.², perhaps originally as a reinterpretation of belove v. Obsolete. rare. transitive (reflexive). To humble oneself; to bring oneself low. Cf. low v.² 1a.Most manuscripts appear to show forms of belove, a reading preferred by some modern editors; cf. belove v. 4. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > humility > make humble [verb (transitive)] edmodienc1175 lowc1175 meekc1175 lessa1382 abatec1390 abasea1393 belowc1400 meekenc1400 disadvance?c1425 simplec1450 lowlyc1485 humilea1492 chasten1526 to pare the nails ofa1549 lessen1579 vail1582 to take (something) a hole lower1591 destate1615 humblea1616 thorough-humblea1617 humiliate1656 level1712 unnichea1751 to level up, down1791 unpedestal1821 to take the starch out of1830 c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) B. vi. f. 29 If þow wil[t] be graciouse to god..bilow [c1400 Trin. Cambr. B.15.17 biloue, a1450 Corpus Oxf. loowe, c1450 Rawl. bylowe] þe amonges low men, so shaltow lacche grace Facite vobis amicos de mamona iniquitatis. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online September 2019). belowadv.prep.n.adj. Brit. /bᵻˈləʊ/, U.S. /bəˈloʊ/, /biˈloʊ/ Forms: late Middle English bilooghe, late Middle English–1500s bylowe, late Middle English–1600s beloue, 1500s beeloe, 1500s bylow, 1500s–1600s beloe, 1500s–1600s belowe, 1500s– below, 1700s belaw (English regional (Northumberland)), 1700s bellow. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: be- prefix, low adj. Etymology: < be- prefix + low adj. Compare earlier beneath adv. and beneath prep. (and see note at beneath prep. on the history of usage of under , beneath , and below ). Compare also alow adv.¹With the pair alow adv.¹ and below adv. compare earlier afore adv. and before adv. In use as adjective probably after above n. 3; compare earlier below-mentioned adj. A. adv. I. Expressing position in or movement to a lower place. 1. In a lower place, at a lesser elevation; in or on the lower part, lowermost surface, etc., of something.In quot. 1485 forming a compound preposition with of, equivalent in meaning to sense B. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > low position > [adverb] > low down or below anunderOE nethenOE underneathc1000 beneath?c1225 theredown1297 alowc1400 belowc1400 at-lowa1500 aneath?1800 ablow1829 underfoot1886 c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 116 And syþen on lenþe bilooghe ledez inogh. 1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) iii. ix. sig. evi^v Syr Tor smote hym thurgh the sheld by lowe of the sheld that it wente thorow the coost of the knyyt. 1526 Grete Herball cxliv. sig. I.iiii/1 Agaynst flux of floures aboue measure in women put all these thynges bylowe in lyke maner. 1567 G. Turberville in A. Chalmers Eng. Poets (1810) II. 616/2 It makes the Oke to overlooke the slender shrubs bylow. 1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §205 To Men standing below on the Ground, those that be on the Top of Pauls, seeme much lesse then they are. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 107 The Waters..belching from below Black Sands, as from a forceful Engine throw. View more context for this quotation 1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite i. 218 Then look'd below, and from the Castle's height Beheld a..pleasing sight. 1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. iv. 67 The child..leaped from her arms into the flood below. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Poems (new ed.) I. 116 From below Sweet gales, as from deep gardens, blow. 1945 Prairie Schooner 19 16 The clerks had a habit of throwing things downstairs without looking, and hollering afterward, ‘Look out below!’ 1978 W. B. McCloskey Highliners (1980) xii. 139 As they gripped his arms, the boat surged up and the float anchored below cracked apart. 2012 Independent 18 July 40/4 We peered over the edge of the boats at vast forests of kelp and the ghost white wisps of moon jellyfish below. 2. a. Under heaven; on earth. Frequently in here below. Now somewhat archaic. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > earth > [adverb] > on earth beneatha1300 below the moonc1300 under the moon (also anunder moon)c1300 below?1520 ?1520 J. Rastell Nature .iiii. Element sig. A.iv These .iiij. elementis here below Whose effectis dayly appere here at eye. 1560 A. L. tr. J. Calvin Serm. Songe Ezechias i. 16 God faileth not to send down certein beames hither by lowe to lighten vs. 1630 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. §xiii It matters not, O God, how I am vexed here below a while. a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 15 That Elephant may differ so From those upon the Earth below. 1701 F. Atterbury Serm. House of Commons 7 We are so apt to forget God's Administration of the great Affairs below, when they go on evenly and regularly. 1764 O. Goldsmith Traveller 4 Where to find that happiest spot below. 1820 J. Keats Lamia i, in Lamia & Other Poems 19 Finer spirits cannot breathe below In human climes. 1891 E. Arnold Light of World i. 67 Was't, then, Apollo, masquing here below? 1946 M. E. Boylan This Tremendous Lover (1947) xxiv. 360 All else we achieve here below will either rot in the grave, or else will be burned away in the crucible of purgatory. 2012 Hudson Rev. 64 399 I imagined them as happy, the dead, happy..to be reunited with those whom they loved here below. b. Under the earth; in the underworld, in hell. Now somewhat archaic. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > [adverb] > subterranean below1555 underground1598 below ground1617 subterraneously1764 underfoot1841 subterraneanly1859 the world > the supernatural > deity > hell > [adverb] > under the earth or in hell beneath1340 below1555 1555 R. Sherry Treat. Figures Gram. & Rhetorike f. li Howe doeth the childe Ascanius, is he on the earth? doth he eate the breath Ethereal? doth he not yet lye belowe in the cruel dark places? a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iv. i. 31 Or Phœbus Steeds are founderd, Or Night kept chain'd below . View more context for this quotation 1663 A. Cowley Cutter of Coleman-St. iv. vi. 48 He's Dead long since, and gon to the Blackamores below. 1714 T. Tickell Poet. Misc. 175 Prosp'rous Traitors gnash their Teeth below. 1793 T. Hastings Regal Rambler iv. 53 The purport of their prayer was, that the powers above, or below..would be pleased to inspire the dying man that instant. 1813 J. Hogg Queen's Wake ii. xi. 149 Macgregor would dive to the mansions below. 1842 R. H. Barham Bloudie Jacke in Ingoldsby Legends 2nd Ser. 184 They say she is now leading apes, and mends Bachelors' small-clothes below. 1920 Open Court Jan. 47 From the battlements of Heaven they could look down upon the torments of the damned below. 1998 Furrow 49 434 Look at him now, being comforted in the bosom of Abraham while the fat cat is banished to the torments below! 3. Further down a slope; downstream. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > [adverb] > lower down beneath1393 below1549 the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [adverb] > downstream downstream1591 beneath1650 below1810 downriver1820 1549 W. Baldwin Canticles of Salomon ii. sig. c.i^v These vallies among below Whome hilles set aloft, doe hyde. ?1552 V. Leigh Pleasaunt Playne & Pythye Pathewaye sig. Ciii^v To a neighbours house, who dwelleth here by lowe. 1645 in H. M. Burt First Cent. Hist. Springfield (1898) I. 164 The Brooks in y^e longe meddow..and y^e Brooke a little below on y^e other side. 1682 G. Wheler Journey into Greece vi. 441 Even those that dwell below in the Town, have Houses also in the Castle. 1722 in T. S. Willan Early Hist. Don Navigation (1965) 58 I propose..that all boats that come from below shall go no higher. 1810 T. Jefferson Corr. (1830) 151 She expected..a British fleet from below. 1845 W. G. Simms Wigwam & Cabin 1st Ser. 16 There's ne'er a house either above or below for a matter of fifteen miles. 1942 L. D. Rich We took to Woods vii. 200 The boss has had the gate raised a few inches to warn any fishermen who may be on the river below that they'd better high-tail it for the bank. 1991 S. Winchester Pacific (1992) 393 Those who live in this Albany are awakened each oriental morning by the cries of the red-cheeked gibbons..who live in the small botanical garden and zoo just below. 4. a. Downstairs; spec. in or into the basement, in which the servants' quarters are located, as distinct from the private rooms of a household. Cf. below stairs adv. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [adverb] > floor or storey below1562 downstairs1598 below stairs1600 above stairs1606 upstairs1781 society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > suite of rooms > [adverb] > in servants' quarters below stairs1600 below1859 1562 A. Brooke tr. M. Bandello Tragicall Hist. Romeus & Iuliet f. 78^v Then they by certaine steppes descend, where they do fynd below [Fr. où ils trouuerent] In clasped armes ywrapt the husband and the wyfe. a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. ii. 140 There's one Master Broome below would faine speake with you. View more context for this quotation 1632 R. Brome Northern Lasse iv. v. sig. K2^v Shee will haue to doe with you aboue, if you speak not with her below. I had much a doe to keepe her downe stayres. 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 269. ¶1 A Man below desired to speak with me. 1773 H. Mackenzie Man of World II. xvi. 154 Somebody from below cried, Robert. 1859 G. Meredith Ordeal Richard Feverel II. vi. 88 This Adonis of the lower household was a mighty man below. 1866 ‘M. Twain’ in B. Taper Mark Twain's San Francisco (2003) 188 A servant girl was needed.., and the bell was rung for her several times without effect. Madame went below to see what the matter was. 1938 Fire-protective Constr. on Farm (U.S. Dept. Agric. Farmers' Bull. No. 1590) (rev. ed.) 5 Hot, gas-laden air from below rushes up the stairway. 1965 G. Jones Island of Apples iii. iii. 197 At nine o'clock..I had my supper, a packet of dragees and a cup of water from the bathroom on the floor below. 2012 National Trust Mag. Spring 48/2 Visitors love to see the contrast between the gentry and the glamour of ‘upstairs’ and the lives of the servants below. b. In or into the space below the main deck of a vessel. Frequently in to go below. Cf. below decks adv., below deck adv. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > bottom or part under water > [adverb] alow1509 underboard1588 below?1650 ?1650 Noble Fisher-man (single sheet) The French man fell [d]owne on the ship hatch and under the hatches down below. 1759 London Mag. May 247/2 The men instructed to go below..soon as they went aboard. 1788 C. Dibdin Musical Tour xxxv. 142 I began to think, with the sailors below, that there was certainly a chance of ‘our being capsized’. 1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxiii. 68 It being the turn of our watch to go below. 1883 E. F. Knight Cruise of ‘Falcon’ I. iii. 30 I had to call up the watch below to muzzle the sail. 1932 M. Major in J. F. Dobie Tone Bell Easy (1965) 163 While we poor sailors were ripping up aloft And the landlords were lying down below. 1976 ‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Nanny Bird xv. 200 Order one of your puking friends to go below. 2012 H. E. Wasdin & S. Templin SEAL Team Six Outcasts 158 Cat came up from below and said, ‘We're sinking.’ 5. With regard to writing: further down on the current page; later in the text; in a subsequent paragraph, passage, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > below or hereafter (in a later part of a book, etc.) hereafterc900 aftereOE innermorea1387 under1389 underneath1389 hereunder1425 below1645 beneath1668 post1688 infra1740 overleaf1742 therein after1818 over1893 1645 J. Graunt Christians Liberty to Lords Table Introd. 1 The knowledge of the truth moved mee to write these eight Arguments, below specified. 1694 W. Salmon Iatrica i. v. 292/1 He may use the pills below described. 1749 J. G. Cooper Life Socrates p. viii All controverted Points are discussed, and abstruse Passages or seeming Contradictions explained below in the Notes. 1788 W. Gordon Hist. Independence U.S.A. I. i. 44 The famous declaratory act of William and Mary, which you will find mentioned below. 1807 F. Wrangham Serm. Transl. Script. 38 The ‘passages’, alluded to below, have been quoted almost to satiety. 1863 A. J. Horwood Yearbks. 30 & 31 Edward I Pref. 29 The forms subjoined in the note below. 1930 Amer. Jrnl. Philol. 51 96 Concerning the absence of the rhetorical point of view in the early romances, see below, note 10. 1968 New Eng. Jrnl. Med. 18 Apr. 876/1 In the three cases reported below, the onset of coma..was so rapid that the diagnosis of metabolic coma was not initially entertained. 2005 Billboard 12 Feb. 13 (advt.) Simply type the web address below into your Internet browser. II. figurative and in extended use. 6. In or to a lower rank, position, etc.; in or to a position of lesser authority. ΚΠ 1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. iv. f. 30 Enuie..in a moment hoisteth vp him whiche was belowe, and poizeth downe againe him that was exalted. 1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 130 The generalls disdaind, By him one step below . View more context for this quotation 1676 R. Dixon Nature Two Test. ii. vii. 562 The grand Nephew and grand Neeces son and daughter are the fourth degree below. 1766 J. Entick Surv. London in New Hist. London IV. 47 The secondary, whose office is to return writs, mark warrants, impannel juries for the courts both above and below. 1834 Examiner 27 July 467/2 No class above labour in England rests satisfied with the repute proper to it—..each is clambering into the class above, and spurning the class below. 1882 Times 15 Mar. 9/3 It was impossible for Alexander II to resist the pressure from below in 1877. 1947 V. Bonham Carter in E. Barker Char. of Eng. ix. 231 Everyone knows his exact position in [public school] society. He is either a member of the nobility,..or of the middle classes who organize public opinion, or of the inarticulate masses below. 2002 Essex Chron. (Nexis) 11 Oct. 69 Obviously we want to be at least sixth place or above next year (the three teams below are relegated). 7. Falling short of something in quantity, amount, or value; less than a stated amount. a. After and or or. ΚΠ 1650 C. Elderfield Civil Right Tythes xix. 128/1 Touching Lambs, we appoint that for sixe and below, so many half pence. 1817 in Mechanics' Mag. (1824) 9 Oct. 39/2 The engines which work with a pressure of seven pounds and below need only a second safety valve. 1936 R. S. Glasgow Princ. Radio Engin. xiv. 500 Wave lengths of 200 meters and below had been assigned in the United States to amateur radio operators. 1980 Times of India 30 Apr. 11/4 Almost half the 56 competitors are ten and below. 2001 P. Moore 2002 Yearbk. Astron. iii. 274 Predicted dates of maxima for Mira stars that reach magnitude 7.5 or below at an average maximum. b. Under zero degrees on a temperature scale; esp. under zero degrees Celsius, lower than freezing point; (also) (chiefly U.S.) under zero degrees Fahrenheit. Cf. above adv. 11c.The part of speech in quot. 1780 is unclear. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > measurement of temperature > [adverb] > above or below zero below1793 above1944 1780 E. Macfait New Syst. Gen. Geogr. 258 + signifies degrees, in Fahrenheit's thermometer, above the cypher, - degrees below.] 1793 T. Jefferson Let. Dec. in Papers (1997) XXVII. 608 The cold here this morning is at 13.° below. 1841 Pennsylvania Inquirer & Daily Courier 13 Jan. In February, last year, it fell to twenty-six below. 1896 W. D. Howells Impressions & Experiences 9 The frosts of ten and twenty below. 1904 M. E. Waller Wood-carver ii. 82 [It was] twenty-seven below this morning. 1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 17 Feb. 1/6 The predicted high [temperature] for Elliot Lake today is 5 below; the low tonight 20 below. 2014 T. McCulloch Stillman 6 Been eight or nine below for over a week. B. prep. I. Expressing position in or movement to a lower place. 1. At a lesser elevation than; falling, appearing, or situated lower than.For earlier use of the adverb in a compound preposition having this sense, see quot. 1485 at sense A. 1. ΚΠ c1565 ‘T. C.’ tr. G. Boccaccio Galesus Cymon & Iphigenia sig. A.v^v She was girtte, below the waste [It. dalla cintura in giù], with Lynnen, white as Skies. 1645 R. Portman Soules Life x. 43 Sometimes it [sc. an infant] falls downe the staires to the ground, and then againe into a pit below the ground. 1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ii. 30 The screw-plate will after it gets a little below the tapering go no further. 1723 Free Masons 16 Ev'ry Turn-key has a Taste Of what lies hid below her Waste. 1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho II. iii. 122 The sun now sunk below the horizon, twilight fell over the landscape. 1848 M. Somerville Physical Geogr. II. xxii. 77 Immediately below the snow-line. 1855 J. L. Motley Rise Dutch Republic Hist. Introd. i. 2 A district lying partly below the level of the ocean. 1924 C. E. Mulford Rustlers' Valley xxvi. 283 Now and then searching bullets clipped and sung below him. 1969 Bensenville (Illinois) Reg. 31 Dec. ii. 1/5 Nothing is as obnoxious as watching a girl parade down the street with garters protruding below her skirt. 2002 M. Kurlansky Salt (2003) xxii. 355 The lowest point on earth, 1,200 feet below sea level..is a vanishing natural wonder: the Dead Sea. 2. a. Directly beneath; under the covering or canopy of. Cf. below ground adv., adj., and n.More usually expressed by under, beneath. ΚΠ 1567 G. Turberville Epitaphes, Epigrams f. 103 Bylowe the Lampe of Phœbus light. 1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries ii. f. 68 Below the Scaffolde was the knight Marshall carrying a red wande in his hande. 1595 W. Lisle tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Babilon 34 Th' all-destroying flood below the ground supprest. a1616 W. Shakespeare King Lear (1623) v. iii. 128 To the discent and dust below thy foote. 1651 tr. J. A. Comenius Nat. Philos. Reformed viii. 138 A small portion of air thrust down below the water. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 136 From her Mossy Bow'r below the Ground. View more context for this quotation 1719 I. Watts Psalms of David 305 From all that dwell below the Skies. 1784 W. Russell Hist. Mod. Europe IV. xxx. 401 The Canadians and Indians..squatted below bushes, or skulked behind trees. 1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus i. iii. 8/2 Books lay on tables, and below tables. 1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xii. 18 Some dolorous message knit below The wild pulsation of her wings. View more context for this quotation 1876 C. H. Davis Narr. North Polar Exped. Ship Polaris x. 245 A large tongue of ice below the water was forced under the bows of the vessel. 1885 R. L. Stevenson Child's Garden of Verses 4 Where below another sky Parrot islands anchored lie. 1936 Scotsman 27 July 7/7 The large crowd..sought shelter below a sea of umbrellas. 1977 Times 2 Nov. 3 (advt.) Our job is to get information about..oil-bearing rock..below the sea bed. 2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 10 Apr. v. 9/1 (advt.) Spend the day trekking below the leafy canopy as howler monkeys swing about. b. Deeper than. ΚΠ a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) ii. vii. 191 Great quantities of subterraneous Woods, lying 10 and 20 Ells below the Superficies of the Ground. 1778 W. Pryce Mineralogia Cornubiensis 81 The Sough or Adit being one hundred fathoms below the surface. 1848 M. Somerville Physical Geogr. II. xxii. 66 The ground is perpetually frozen at a very small depth below the surface. 1884 G. J. Symons Brit. Rainfall 21 That water is usually about 3 ft. below the surface of the ground. 1949 A. E. Trueman Geol. & Scenery Eng. & Wales xiv. 200 Its deepest part is over fifty feet below sea-level. 2015 Esquire Jan. 86/1 A slab-on-grade pit seventy feet below street level. 3. Further down a slope than; downstream from. ΚΠ 1568 C. Watson tr. Polybius Hystories f. 67^v This Erix is a mounte within Scicilie... A little below the top [L. infra verticem], there is a Citie of the same name. a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. iii. 95 At the consecrated Fount, A League below, the Citie. View more context for this quotation 1670 S. Bull Let. 12 Sept. in L. Cheves Shaftesbury Papers (2000) 193 Wee have chosen in the River Above & below the Towne our greate Lotts. 1732 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) I. 376 Below the house and between the lakes is a little copsewood which is cut into vistas and serpentine walks. 1759 L. Wood Jrnl. 16 June in Hist. Coll. Essex Inst. (1882) XIX. 67 We Travelled from Half moon to the Place Called The 3 mile house Bellow Stillwater. 1803 M. Culley Let. 26 Dec. in M. Culley & G. Culley Farming Lett. (2006) 570 You should put in a sluice or dam in the well springs immediately below the ford. 1872 J. Ruskin Fors Clavigera II. xiv. 11 Below the village, the valley opens..into a broad flat meadow. 1930 A. Ransome Swallows & Amazons i. 15 Below the farm at Holly Howe the field sloped steeply to a little bay where there was a boathouse and a jetty. 2000 N. Jans Tracks of Unseen 6 Stretched across a sandy rise just below the confluence of the Kobuk and Ambler Rivers. 4. At a dinner, banquet, etc.: nearer to the foot of the table, or to a seat occupied by the lowest-ranking person present, than. Now chiefly historical.below the salt: see salt n.¹ 7b.In quot. 1607 in figurative context. ΚΠ 1574 T. Tymme tr. J. de Serres Three Partes Comm. Ciuill Warres Fraunce ii. 161 The Princes denying to sitte belowe the Cardinalls. 1607 R. Parker Scholasticall Disc. against Antichrist iv. xvi. 195 Must not prayer giue place to sitt below it [sc. preaching]? 1652 F. Whyte For Sacred Law of Land iii. 289 The Lord Chancellour..is the first man. The great Chamberlain of England, Constable, Marshil, and Amiral are to sit below him. 1723 P. Davall tr. Cardinal de Retz Memoirs IV. v. 39 He imbraced me with one Arm, and Lomelini, who was seated below him with the other. 1763 Cantabrigia Depicta 21 Semicircular Seats..for the Heads, Noblemen, and Doctors: Below them sit the Regents. 1854 Sharpe's London Mag. July 278/2 Clarinda sat below him, with some persons placed between them. 1886 Independent (N.Y.) 4 Mar. 4/2 At a dinner where an American Senator was the honored guest, Lord Houghton was willing to sit below him. 1964 U. K. Le Guin in T. Shippey Oxf. Bk. Sci. Fiction (1992) 324 She looked down the hall and saw, in seats far below hers,..the gleam and flash of precious stones. 2000 C. Hibbert Queen Victoria (2001) vii. 56 The Duchess..was placed at table below the Queen's aunts. 5. To the south of; lower in latitude than. ΚΠ 1612 J. Speed Theatre of Empire of Great Brit. i. xxxvii. 71/1 From Wooferton below Lodlane South, to Ouer neere vnto the Riuer Trent in the North, is thirtie foure miles. 1787 S. S. Smith Ess. Causes of Variety Complexion & Figure 4 Immediately below the arctic circle a high and sanguine colour prevails. a1827 H. M. Williams tr. A. von Humboldt Personal Narr. Trav. (1829) VII. 288 The gales of Saint Martha..blow with great violence at that season below 12° of latitude. 1933 S. Walker Night Club Era 202 Below Forty-second Street the garment trades..have steadily inched their way northward. 2002 N. Walker Blackbox (2003) 3 He's thinking of dead calm and slow moving surface winds, Horse Latitudes, above and below the equator, where sailing boats flounder. 6. At a lower level than (the top surface or outer layer of something); on the underside of; within, inside.More usually expressed by under, beneath. ΚΠ 1645 J. Downame Ann. Old & New Test. xiii. v. 2 The first sort of leprosie observed, which is discerned by the white colour of the haire, and the degree of inherence of it below the skinne. 1789 Weekly Entertainer 19 Jan. 57 The others cried out, that he had got armour below his clothes, which was indeed the case. 1824 J. Hogg Private Mem. Justified Sinner 211 His hands were clasped behind his back, and below his coat. 1921 C. C. Gow Electro-metallurgy of Steel ix. 171 The body of steel immediately below the top crust formed will..be protected from further rapid loss of heat. 2015 US Official News (Nexis) 11 Feb. A cage crinoline below the skirt eliminated the need for several layers of heavy petticoats. 7. With regard to writing: further down on the current page than; later in the text than; in a subsequent paragraph, passage, etc., to.The part of speech in quot. 1613 is unclear. ΚΠ 1613 W. B. tr. S. Michaelis Admirable Hist. Penitent Woman 161 Then hee signed it [sc. a letter],..and a good distance below it was written. I Magdalene of Demandoul doe testifie..that all which is written in this letter is true.] 1655 S. Fisher Christianismus Redivivus 21 Some few lines below this you relate thus. 1743 J. Barclay Treat. Educ. v. 84 Below the simple verbs are translated into English all the useful rules. 1858 W. Holdsworth Law of Wills i. 13 No signature will give effect to any disposition or direction which is inserted below or after it in point of place. 1880 Times 13 Sept. 4/2 Each of the Commissioners has signed his name below that of the Duke of Cambridge as a matter of course. 1939 N. Waln Reaching for Stars 327 Another hand had written below the bold letters, in a delicate script..: ‘Et tu, Brute.’ 2014 S. King Revival (2015) x. 299 I..read the note Jacobs had added below her address. II. figurative and in extended use. 8. Lower in pitch than; lower on a musical scale than. ΚΠ 1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke ii. 76 If you would sing the descant part fifteene notes lower, then will it goe wel in the eight below the plainesong. 1611 J. Maynard XII. Wonders of World sig. I You must set your Base Violl a note below your Lute. 1659 C. Simpson Division-violist ii. 21 The Compasse..extends, from a Fourth, or Fifth below Gamut, to as much above Ela. 1731 P. Prelleur Mod. Musick-Master III. 9 Anticipated by one Note below the Note on which we design to make it. 1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music An embellishment..consisting of the note on which the turn is made, the note above it, and the semitone below it. 1866 H. B. Stowe Little Foxes 115 If a piano is tuned to exact concert pitch, the majority of voices must fall below it. 1880 W. H. Stone in G. Grove Dict. Music I. 458 Double bassoon..in pitch an octave below the ordinary bassoon. 1955 Sci. Monthly Apr. 219/1 The strike note was about an octave below the fifth partial tone of the bell. 1989 P. van der Merwe Origins Pop. Style (1992) xvi. 136 The initial grace-note a third below the tonic. 2011 N.Y. Mag. 27 June 143/2 A method of playing notes below the open-G string without lowering the violin's tuning. 9. Lower in degree or quality than; inferior to. ΚΠ 1599 S. Daniel Let. from Octavia Ep. Ded. in Poet. Ess. The meaner sort (whose thoughts are plac'd As in another region, far below The Sphere of greatnesse). 1649 W. Charleton tr. J. van Helmont Ternary of Paradoxes 125 It is of a materiall condition, and farre below the finenesse of a spirituall nature. 1718 H. Felton Diss. Reading Classics (ed. 3) 128 His Idylliums of Theocritus are as much below his Manilius, as the Fields are below the Stars. 1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. viii. 69 The finest strokes..are much below those in the Acis and Galatea of Ovid. 1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 104 So far is the lightest heart below True happiness. 1847 T. B. Macaulay Let. in G. O. Trevelyan Life & Lett. Macaulay (1876) II. xi. 232 How far my performance is below excellence. 1871 H. R. Haweis Music & Morals cxcvi. 524 We place Italy and France below Germany. 1947 Classical Weekly 20 Oct. 26/1 Comenius..had heard excellent reports of Bathe's book but found it below his expectations. 1960 F. Land Lang. Math. xiv. 253 Its reliability was below the acceptable level. 2001 Guardian 16 Apr. i. 20/3 When productivity is measured properly, Japan ranks below the UK. 10. Unworthy of, unbefitting to; = beneath prep. 7a. ΚΠ 1602 F. Beaumont tr. Ovid Salmacis & Hermaphroditus sig. C4^v But he did find him farre below his birth, Drinking with theeues and catch-poles on the earth. 1637 J. Cestrien Let. 10 Nov. in W. Prynne New Discov. Prelates Tyranny (1641) ii. 223 It is much below me to be an Informer. 1695 R. Blackmore Prince Arthur Pref. sig. A 'Tis below the Dignity of a true Poet to take his Aim at any inferiour End. 1712 R. Steele Tatler No. 522. ⁋2 A man..of birth and estate below no woman to accept. 1743 J. Barclay Treat. Educ. 36 Such things some may reckon below attention. 1827 H. Hallam Constit. Hist. Eng. I. iii. 153 A compiler..who thinks no fact below his regard. 1883 R. A. Proctor in Knowledge 10 Aug. 94/1 Too far below contempt to be worth castigating. 1924 Fortn. Rev. Dec. 846 This may seem to the reader so obvious as to be below notice. 2011 Y. Edwards Cupboard Full Coats viii. 156 Little things really that shoulda been below me, but I stooped to them anyway just to make the point. 11. Lower in rank or position than; inferior to in authority.to marry below oneself: see marry v. 1c. ΚΠ 1603 H. Holland Pancharis sig. C10^v Then bade the Queene, that one belowe the State, A stoole for her should set vpon the ground. a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) ii. ii. 29 From below your Duke, to beneath your Constable. View more context for this quotation 1668 J. Dryden Secret-love i. iii. 13 I love below myself; a Subject. 1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 49. ⁋7 He..gives his Orders..to the Servants below him. 1751 J. Jortin Serm. (1771) II. iv. 73 Unless he..is sunk below a beast. 1828 C. Lamb Poor Relations in Elia 2nd Ser. 151 No woman dresses below herself from caprice. 1885 J. Martineau Types Ethical Theory I. 275 What he treats as Substance relatively to phenomenal nature below it, he regards as Attribute relatively to a prior infinite nature above it. 1931 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 1 Dec. 12/4 I am keeping my sunny side up by contemplating the misery of the man just below me. 1963 G. Sansom Hist. Japan 1615–1867 i. 21 Below the daimyo in the feudal scale stood the Hatamoto or Bannerman. 2005 N. Gershenfeld FAB 80 ‘Nana’ is an honorific title for a chief; below him are the divisional chiefs and lesser subchiefs. †12. Under the influence of. Cf. beneath prep. 4. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1605 S. Daniel Certaine Small Poems sig. H5^v What doest thou here with vs That are below thy power, shut from aboue? 1812 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Cantos I & II i. xlvii. 31 His vineyard..Blasted below the dun hot breath of war. 13. Of or at an amount, quantity, or value less than.below par: see par n.¹ 3b. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > small of quantity, amount, or degree [preposition] > less than underc1380 underneath1460 below1625 1625 T. Jackson Treat. Originall of Vnbeliefe lxii. 383 To debase his fidelitie and veracitie below the rate of common honestie. 1721 J. Perry Acct. Stopping Daggenham Breach 30 Having made it sure that no Man else would go below [i.e. underbid] him. 1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. v. 52 The price of gold bullion has fallen below the mint price. 1848 M. Somerville Physical Geogr. II. xxiv. 124 The cold has been 120° below zero. 1884 G. J. Symons Brit. Rainfall 84 The rainfall of this month..is considerably below the average. 1948 G. W. Southgate Eng. Econ. Hist. (new ed.) xxxi. 314 The inhabitants of this country were able to purchase sugar at a price which was below the cost of production. 1972 Accountant 5 Oct. 409/1 The annual rate of inflation may be reduced below the level of pay awards. 2008 P. Hensher Northern Clemency 40 Bernie..was stuck between lorries, thundering along at a frustrating ten miles an hour below the speed limit. †14. Beyond the authority, influence, or reach of on account of humble or low status; too lowly to be affected by. Cf. above prep. 10a. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1638 J. Hainhofer tr. Secretary of Ladies ii. 17 I..content my selfe by ignorance to be below evil, not being able by Iudgement to lift my selfe above it. 1656 S. Winter Serm. 171 Our superordinanc'd men, that are above ordinances but below pietie. 1797 Ranspach I. xiii. 199 She..secretly congratulated herself on being sprung of a plebian class, below the influence of prejudices, which often painfully counterbalance the boasted superiority of the great. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 168 It is possible to be below flattery as well as above it. One who trusts nobody will not trust sycophants. †15. Later than, after. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1641 Bp. J. Hall Short Answer Vindic. Smectymnuus 38 Fetching downe the story from Moses to Adrians time, and somewhat below it. 1724 D. Waterland Crit. Hist. Athanasian Creed iv. 56 It will be needless to take notice of any Manuscripts below this Time. 1774 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry I. Dissert. ii The most eminent scholars..before and even below the twelfth century, were educated in our religious houses. 1819 N. F. Moore Remarks on Pronunc. Greek Lang. 17 Even this period brings us four centuries below the era of their highest glory and perfection. 1881 Jrnl. Hellenic Stud. 2 21 We may infer that some reason existed which precluded even the advocates of this view from going below the reign of Croesus. 16. With regard to meaning, attitude, investigation, etc.: on or to a deeper level than.Frequently as part of an extended metaphor with reference to sense B. 2b. ΚΠ 1690 J. Whiston Right Method for Proving of Infant-baptism 6 A Truth that lies..below the very Surface of the Scriptures. 1795 R. Ramsden Right to Life: Pt. 2 5 It does not appear consistent with our notions of legislation..that so much meaning..should be expressed in words not seeming to teach it, that their real should lie so deep below their apparent import. 1871 in J. Jones Memorials A. E. Jones vi. 387 This call was followed by one or two more, but we did not get below the surface. 1885 W. Thomson in Nature 5 Mar. 409/2 The necessity for study below the surface seems to have been earliest recognised in anatomy. 1931 W. D. Robson-Scott tr. E. Diesel Germany & Germans iv. iv. 216 This mutual distrust is still perceptible below the veneer of bourgeois toleration. 1988 New Orleans Rev. 15 iv. 48/2 The powerful violence that is the price of the ‘universal’ man lurking below the joke. 2014 S. Armstrong-Reid L. Creelman i. 18 Despite her academic achievements, self-doubts lingered below her outward confidence. C. n. 1. Chiefly formal. With the: the following passage, paragraph, etc.; the person, thing, or set of things mentioned or discussed in the following passage, paragraph, etc.rare in comparison with above n. 3.Quot. 1798 is a postscript added at the head of a letter. ΚΠ 1798 T. Twining Let. 6–8 Aug. (1991) II. 520 Since I wrote the below, I have heard from my Mother who is quite well. 1869 J. Saunders Hirell III. i. 27 Had the letter—of which the below is a copy—reached only a day sooner, your father would have had it. 1889 A. M. Fleming Capt. Kiddle xviii. 183 The below is a fac-simile of the inscription, one-tenth its original size. 1933 F. M. Ford Let. 8 Mar. (1965) 218 I wrote the below in answer to somebody who said I could not find a rhyme for Closerie des Lilas. 1980 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 12 Mar. When substituting any of the below, alter the liquid measurement of the Basic Whole Wheat Bread recipe accordingly. 2015 J. Witter Little Bk. of Big PR ii. 19 Resend the original email with a note that says, ‘I am following up on the below. Please let me know if you're interested in the story.’ 2. A part which is below or underneath; the lower or bottom part of something. Opposed to above n. 2. rare. ΚΠ 1848 J. B. Stallo Gen. Princ. Philos. Nature ii. 354 The ‘here’ pointed out is first an ‘above’; but next it is not an ‘above’, but a ‘below’, and so on. 1881 S. F. Alleyne in tr. E. Zeller Hist. Greek Philos. I. 317/2 It [sc. this theory] resolves the opposition of the above and the below into that of the outward and inward. 1909 G. W. James Indian Basketry vii. 94 In Zuni, the above—the region of the sky—is symbolized by any and all colors, the below is black. 1986 H. W. Fawkner Ecstatic World J. C. Powys i. 29 Freudianism posits an equator line dividing the mind into an Above and a Below. D. adj. Mentioned, described, listed, etc., further down on the present page, or subsequently in the text. Cf. below-mentioned adj.rare in comparison with above adj. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adjective] > that which follows (in a book, etc.) following1340 underwritten1389 underfollowing14.. sequent1575 under-mentioned1640 below-mentioned1665 below1822 underhanded1884 postludial1935 1822 Philos. Mag. 59 140 According to the below observations, the thermometer falls one degree for every ascent of 224 feet. 1895 Harper's Weekly 16 Nov. 1099/1 Mr. Blanding takes as his cue the below paragraph. 1931 Michigan Technic Nov. 10/1 The architects..kindly sent the below description of the technique employed by them in this ceiling. 1996 Frank 8 May 3/3 David's many Canadian admirers are invited to visit he and Danielle..at the below address. 2016 M. Sofiev & M. Prank in P. J. Beggs Impacts of Climate Change on Allergens & Allergic Dis. iv. 53 In the below analysis, we shall..make some basic statistics based on meteorological past-time data. Phrases P1. below there!: used to attract the attention of, or provide a warning to, people situated at a lower level. Now somewhat rare.Originally and frequently in nautical contexts; cf. sense A. 4b. ΚΠ a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Double Marriage ii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) 25/2 Ho, below there: Ho, ho, within. Ley her North-east, and thrust her missen out. 1686 T. D'Urfey Common-wealth of Women ii. i. 11 What, hoa! call up the Boatswain. Holloa—below there! 1715 N. Hamilton Doating Lovers iii. 41 And Cupid's Rod shall scourge you severely—below there. 1757 J. Ilive Reasons offered Reformation House Correction Clerkenwell i. 10 Mr. Freeborn..called up..to the Gatemen, Above there. Who immediately answer'd, Below there. 1832 A. M. Hall Buccaneer III. v. 94 Below there!—turn out the guard, and encircle the ruins! 1896 Bow Bells 6 Mar. 264/2 One man was tying a paint-pot to the rung of the ladder, the cord slipped, down came the pot, the man singing out ‘Below there!’. 1939 Boys' Life Nov. 14/2 The Captain shouted: ‘Below there—more juice!’ 1977 D. Pope Ramage's Mutiny xiii. 149 ‘Below there!’ he called in Spanish. ‘Your ship is captured.’ P2. below bridge: (with reference to the Thames) downriver from London Bridge. Now historical and rare. ΚΠ 1661 Cities Loyalty display'd 4 This Tree [sc. a maypole] was..made below Bridg, and brought in two parts up to Scotland-yard. 1691 T. Hale Acct. New Inventions p. c Below bridge, where the great Scene of Navigation lyes. 1715 J. Kersey Dict. Anglo-Britannicum (ed. 2) Hebberman, one that fishes below Bridge, commonly at ebbing Water, &c. 1877 T. H. Huxley Physiogr. i. 2 The water sweeps down below bridge in the direction of Greenwich. 1906 G. R. Sims Living London (rev. ed.) II. 243/1 There is plenty of pleasure and sport and fun to be obtained below bridge also, and found at Greenwich, Gravesend, Southend, Margate, Ramsgate, and elsewhere. 1998 D. Pool What Jane Austen ate & Charles Dickens Knew (new ed.) 16 From the standpoint of the riverfront, London Bridge really marked the entrance to the city; indeed, directions on the river were frequently given with reference to it as ‘above bridge’ or ‘below bridge.’ P3. below one's breath: see breath n. Phrases 8. below the gangway: see gangway n. 3d. Compounds below-cost adj. Finance designating goods sold for less than the cost price; of or relating to goods sold in this way. ΚΠ 1892 Miller (Minneapolis) 9 Dec. 840/1 The question is, where does all this below cost flour come from? Somebody is certainly losing heavily. 1971 N.Y. Law Jrnl. 23 Nov. 4/2 Big brewers may be..deliberately using below-cost pricing methods to force competitors out of the market. 2005 J. Diamond Collapse (2006) xiii. 413 Indirect government subsidies in the forms of below-cost water, tax concessions, and free telephone linkups. below-elbow adj. (also below-the-elbow) of, relating to, or involving the part of the arm below the elbow; (also) extending to just below the elbow. ΚΠ 1883 F. G. Ernst Orthopædic Apparatus 30 A cheap form of apparatus called an ‘arm socket’..is very serviceable in wrist or below-elbow amputations. 1920 Boston Sunday Globe 2 May 57/1 (advt.) The two big pockets and below the elbow sleeves are designed for convenience. 1948 Amarillo (Texas) Globe 14 Sept. 9/1 You wear below-the-elbow gloves, with gold stitching. 2012 M. R. Belsky et al. in M. Carlson Elite Athlete's Hand & Wrist Injury 271/1 A long-arm cast is considered if the patient is either noncompliant or remains painful in the shorter below-elbow cast. below-knee adj. (also below-the-knee) of, relating to, or involving the part of the leg below the knee; (also) extending to just below the knee. ΚΠ 1857 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 2 May 384/2 (advt.) For below knee amputations, this invention [sc. an artificial limb] claims great superiority. 1917 U.S. Naval Med. Bull. 11 556 [If] the stump is too short to use a below-knee artificial leg..a kneeling leg will have to be worn. 1957 J. C. Adams Outl. Fractures vi. 225 It is essential that the ligament be protected by a below-knee plaster for not less than eight weeks. 1975 C. Calasibetta Fairchild's Dict. Fashion 50/2 Below-the-knee boot made of buckskin with fringed turned down cuff at top. 2011 N.Y. Times 13 Oct. (Late ed.) e4/5 They carry running skirts to suit all tastes..including a below-the-knee..skirt for the modest. below-market adj. Finance (of a price, rate, etc.) that is lower than that typically found on the open market. ΚΠ 1916 Trunks, Leather Goods & Umbrellas Apr. 305/2 He had an article before him for which there was a demand at the time and which he could sell at a below market figure. 1989 S. A. Fox Keys to Incorporating xxii. 87 A related issue is that of below-market loans made to employees and independent contractors. 2009 Honolulu Advertiser 14 Feb. (Business section) b5/1 A Utah developer is..to provide spacious condominiums at below-market prices to buyers contributing sweat equity. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < v.c1400adv.prep.n.adj.c1400
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† belowv.

belowadv.prep.n.adj.

Phrases

Compounds