undermine means to dig underneath (something), to make a passage for destructive or military purposes; to sap. It carries an Arena rating of 1756, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, undermine ranks #49 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #175 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #333 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #552 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
undermine is pronounced /ˌʌn.dəˈmaɪn/.
Why “undermine” is a great word
To weaken, subvert, or impair the effectiveness, power, or stability of something, often gradually or insidiously. From the literal sense of digging a tunnel or mine (from Old English *myne*) under a structure to cause its collapse, thus meaning to weaken from a foundation. Unlike 'undergird,' which strengthens from below, or the general 'weaken,' to undermine is to hollow out foundations with stealth and patient intent. It is the termite's patient gnawing through oak beams, the whispered rumor that erodes a reputation over years, or the slow seep of water through limestone until the vaults give way—the quiet art of making something fall by removing what it stands upon.
Etymology
From under- + mine.
verb
- To dig underneath (something), to make a passage for destructive or military purposes; to sap.e.g.“Martin, for instance, had on one occasion undermined a tree sacred to old gods, then stood in the path of its fall, but forced it to fall elsewhere by making the sign of the Cross.” — 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 312:
- To weaken or work against; to hinder, sabotage.e.g.“The war efforts were undermined by the constant bickering between the allies.”
- To erode the base or foundation of something, e.g. by the action of water.
- To regard an object as the sum of the parts that compose it, in object-oriented ontology.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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