nether
nether Lexical Profile
nether Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Situated down or below; lower in position or rank.
"The heavy grain was ground into fine flour between the upper and nether millstones."
Relating to or situated in the underworld or the mythical realm of the dead.
"In classical mythology, the ferryman guided departed souls across the dark river into the nether world."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Nether" is used exclusively as an attributive adjective before a noun (as in "nether world" or "nether garments") and is often employed humorously or euphemistically in the phrase "nether regions" to refer to the lower body or buttocks.
• Rhymes for nether
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English neoþera (meaning "lower" or "under"), derived from the Proto-Germanic comparative form *nitheraz, from the adverbial root *nithar ("down"); this same root gives us the name of the Netherlands ("the Low Countries") and the word "beneath."