underlie
/ˌʌn·dərˈlɑɪ/ v [T] (present participle underlying, past tense underlay /ˌʌn·dərˈleɪ/, past participle underlain /ˌʌn·dərˈleɪn/)Definition
› to be a cause of or strong influence on something: More fundamental economic problems may underlie last week’s stock market slide. Note: said esp. of a hidden cause or influence
(Definition of underlie v from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
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