underinvestment en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *-tér Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér Proto-Indo-European *h₂én Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *-dʰi ? Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- English investment English underinvestment From under- + investment.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) An insufficient investment.
The West of England Line has long been a Cinderella railway. Decades of patch-and-mend underinvestment have resulted in consistently poor performance.
2026 February 18, Paul Clifton, “West of England Line problems laid bare”, in RAIL, number 1055, page 7:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| underinvestments | Number=Plur | lexicographic |