nether

adjective

neth·​er ˈne-t͟hər How to pronounce nether (audio)
1
: situated down or below : lower
Snakes nested in the nether reaches of the cave.
2
: situated or believed to be situated beneath the earth's surface
captured her and carried her off to the nether world to be his wifeS. V. McCasland

Examples of nether in a Sentence

skied the nether slope of the mountain
Recent Examples on the Web Sidekick to: Buffy Summers The once-mousy No. 2 behind Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar)'s superhero, Willow (a nerd-cool pioneer) tempers the vampire slayer's quip-spouting, melodramatic ways with patience, reason, and a readiness to roam the nether regions of the demon world. Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 Potent, perplexing, elephantine sounds, off-kilter noises in synchronized dysfunction, captured from the nether and woven into dense, mesmeric spells. Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 5 June 2023 In Western India, the festival represents the day Lord Vishnu, the Preserver (one of the main gods of the Hindu trinity) sent the demon King Bali to rule the nether world — while in Bengal and other parts of Eastern India, Goddess Kali is worshipped on this day, per Times of India. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 22 Oct. 2022 Like other college students, his nether regions were at the mercy of the unforgiving plastic chairs often found in the library and residence halls. Laurie Saloman, Verywell Health, 28 Sep. 2023 For the occasion, the Uncut Gems star, 33, wore a silver chain body harness with intricate metal hardware covering her chest and nether regions. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2023 But the fact is that all dogs will be dogs from time to time - that is, chomp down on goose poop by the sidewalk, lick their nether regions multiple times a day and bring home the odd dead critter. Trisha Pasricha Md, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Aug. 2023 His figures are of the painting but not entirely of the painting — inhabiting a nether material state. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2023 There are numerous slapstick moments, such as seeing Audrey trying to keep down a thousand-year-old egg to seeing Kat trying to retrieve condoms filled with cocaine out of her nether regions. Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 6 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nether.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English nithera, from nither down; akin to Old High German nidar down, Sanskrit ni

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nether was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near nether

Cite this Entry

“Nether.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nether. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nether

adjective
neth·​er ˈnet͟h-ər How to pronounce nether (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on nether

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