1. Laid or placed under or below.
a. 1100. in Napier, O. E. Gloss., I. 3518. Suppositis … torribus, of under ledum … brandum.
1552. Huloet, Vnder layed, suffundatus.
1598. Florio, Soffondato, vnderlaide or laid vnder.
1647. Hexham, I.
2. Furnished with an under layer or support; strengthened from below; fitted or supplied underneath (with something). Chiefly fig.
c. 1530. Hickscorner, D iv. Therwith can you cloute me a payre of botes?… I wolde haue them well vnderlayd and easlye.
1618. Bp. Hall, Contempl., O. T., XII. viii. That mans faith is well underlaid, that upholds it selfe by the Omnipotency of God.
1650. Trapp, Comm. Deut. iii. 6. Surely, every man in his best estate, or when best underlaid, is altogether vanity.
1658. J. Harrington, Oceana, 91. If a Common-wealth have been introduced at once,… you are certain to find her underlay’d with this as the main foundation.
1712. Budgell, Spect., No. 379, ¶ 12. The Floor of the Vault was all loose, and underlaid with several Springs.
1820. Shelley, Witch Atl., liii. They framed the imperial tent … Of woven exhalations, underlaid With lambent lightning-fire.
b. Const. by (what underlies).
1850. Ansted, Elem. Geol., Min., etc., § 906. Seams of coal … uderlaid by a seam or bed of fire-clay.
1893. Sir H. Howorth, Glacial Nightmare, II. 463. That the coal-beds … are overlaid by drift I have no doubt; that they are also underlaid by it seems to be most doubtful.
3. Printing. Of type, etc.: Raised by means of an underlay.
1771. Luckombe, Hist. Print., 362. These Underlaid Words standing higher than the rest of the Matter.
1880. Scribner’s Mag., May, 42/2. This addition to the plate springs it up in every part underlaid, so that the surface fairly meets the inking rollers.
† 4. Of a horse: ? Strong-limbed. Obs.
1674. Lond. Gaz., No. 892/4. A strong underlaid Brown Bay Nag. Ibid., No. 909/4. A truss well underlaid Horse.
