Link Centre Dictionary

underwrite

un·derw·rite

UK/ˈʌndəɹaɪt/ US/ʌndəˈɹaɪt/ fairly common

verb

1.

guarantee financial support of

  • “The opera tour was subvented by a bank”
Synonyms
2.

protect by insurance

  • “The insurance won”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English underwriten, from Old English underwrītan (“to write at the foot of, write under, subscribe”). Compare Dutch onderschrijven (“to endorse”), German unterschreiben (“to sign; endorse”), Danish underskrive (“to sign; endorse”). By surface analysis, under- + write.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.