underlay

IPA: ˈʌndɝɫeɪ

A layer (of earth, etc.) that lies under another; substratum.
A soft floor covering that lies under a carpet.
Anything that is underlaid.
(printing, historical) A piece of paper pasted under woodcuts, stereotype plates, etc. in a form, to bring them up to the necessary level for printing.
(music) Lyrics; or more specifically, the way in which lyrics are assigned to musical notes.

(transitive) To lay (something) underneath something else; to put under.
(transitive) To provide a support for something; to raise or support by something laid under.
(transitive) To put a tap on (a shoe).
(mining, transitive, intransitive, of a vein, fault, or lode) To incline from the vertical.

Examples of "underlay" in Sentences

His eyes glittered at that, and a mercenary expression underlay the tone of his answer.
The skipper offered him a medal but declined to acknowledge the dramatic particulars that underlay it.
This device, in other words, meant the music would be the identifiable underlay but with different lyrics on top.
So he zeroed in on the single characteristic he thought underlay the myriad of abilities we push together and call intelligence.
The 3D model can be placed on top of a 3D map, aerial, or hybrid map underlay, which is used to give the models a sense of place and scale.
The same thought which is expressed in Solomon's fuller phrase underlay the expression, -- _He_ dwelt 'not in temples made with hands' but His
Widely considered too stupid and lazy for skilled labor, most of the first large wave of Irish immigrants were hired to dig the canals that underlay the Industrial Revolution.
He liked to idealize whatever tacit or explicit bargain underlay his relationships with Bubi and Walter (eventually Otto in "The Nowaks") and finally Heinz, with whom the writer exchanged rings and went on the run once Hitler clamped down and the German draft law threatened to scoop the boy into the army or prison.