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Synonyms
un·der·ly·ing (ŭńdər-lī́ĭng)

adjective 

  1. Lying under or beneath something: underlying strata.
  2. Basic; fundamental.
  3. Present but not obvious; implicit: an underlying meaning.
  4. Taking precedence; prior: an underlying financial claim.
un·der·lie (ŭńdər-lī́)

transitive verb: -lay (-lā́), -lain (-lāń), -ly·ing, -lies. 

  1. To be located under or below.
  2. To be the support or basis of; account for: Many factors underlie my decision.
  3. To constitute a prior financial claim over: Dividends for preferred stock underlie those of common stock.