undergird
verb
Acts 27:17 (Revised Standard Version)Susan Q. Stranahan
Did you know?
When undergird was a new word in the 16th century, it was ships that were undergirded—that is, made secure below—and the undergirding was done by passing a rope or chain underneath. That literal sense has long since fallen out of use, but in the 19th century undergird picked up the figurative “strengthen” or “support” meaning that we still use. Centuries before anything was undergirded, however, people and things could be girded—that is, encircled or bound with a flexible band, such as a belt. Girding today is more often about preparing oneself to fight or to do something difficult, as in “girding themselves for an ideological battle.” About as old as gird is the word’s close relation, girdle, which originally referred to an article of clothing that circles the body usually at the waist; the girdles of today address the same anatomical territory but with the squeezy aim of making the waist look thinner. Gird also gives us girder, a noun referring to a horizontal piece supporting a structure.
Synonyms
Examples of undergird in a Sentence
Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024
Establishing a credible path toward a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza is the only foundation that can undergird long-term security and regional acceptance for Israel and guarantee the normalization of its relations with Saudi Arabia.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2024
In recent interviews, the president has rejected those calls more forcefully, but he’s been unable to dispel the concerns that undergird them.
—Philip Bump, Washington Post, 8 July 2024
An undeniable logic undergirds the party’s reconsideration of its nominee.
—Philip Bump, Washington Post, 11 July 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near undergird
Cite this Entry
“Undergird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undergird. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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undergird
verb
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