subterraneanlyadv.
/ˌsʌbtəˈreɪnɪənli/, U.S. /ˌsəbtəˈreɪniənli/ Below the surface of the ground. Also figurative: secretly, clandestinely.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > [adverb] > subterranean
below1555
underground1598
below ground1617
subterraneously1764
underfoot1841
subterraneanly1859
the world > space > relative position > low position > [adverb] > under > under the ground
underground1598
above (also under) grounda1604
subterraneous1712
subterraneously1764
subterraneanly1859
1859 Illustr. Times 8 Jan. 23/3 The malodorous debris of animal matter..may be subterraneanly bottled up and hermetically sealed for more than a couple of centuries in a clay soil.
1872 Notes & Queries 13 Apr. 295/2 The career so gallantly commenced by Dix in 1837 was continued somewhat subterraneanly.
1913 Ann. Rep. Board of Regents Smithsonian Inst. 1912 468 The hunting ants, which, partly above ground and partly subterraneanly, go about in quest of prey.
1977 R. P. Rettig et al. Manny ix. 252 The enterprising delinquent who operates subterraneanly, covertly, and rationally..is fairly certain about his commodity goals.
1983 B. Levin Enthusiasms v. 129 Following the Underground round all the stations of the Circle Line..the walker finds the ground trembling beneath his feet as the unseen trains rumble subterraneanly by.
2010 Observer Rev. (Nexis) 10 Jan. 16 The company performs subterraneanly: the first apparition of Miracle was in the crypt of a Holborn church; now it can be seen in a West End basement.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.1859