† underfadj.
Origin: Probably a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: English underuo , underfo v.
Etymology: Probably an alteration of underuo, variant past participle of underfo v. (compare variant reading in quot.), apprehended as if < un- prefix1 + derf adj.In quot. a1250 the scribe of MS Titus, probably influenced by the preceding unstrengðe , has apparently misread the presumed underuo of the archetype as a negative adjective formed on derf adj. The form underuo represents a variant (with loss of final -n ) of underuon , the usual form of the past participle of underfo v. in the so-called ‘AB language’ of the south-west midlands.
Obsolete.
rare.
a1250 (?c1200) (Titus) (1981) l. 791 Al þe weane & te wa wente up o þe unstrengðe of þat underue [c1225 Royal underuo; L. assumpte] flesch.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2020).