nether region

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: netherregion

English

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From nether +‎ region.

Noun

[edit]

nether region (plural nether regions)

  1. (often pluralized) Hell; a realm beneath the surface of the earth conceived as the abode of the souls of the dead and, sometimes, as the abode of demons or evil spirits.
    • 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, ch. 23:
      At this instant old Roger Chillingworth thrust himself through the crowd—or, perhaps, so dark, disturbed, and evil was his look, he rose up out of some nether region.
    • 1890, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Firm of Girdlestone, ch. 25:
      None of them were sorry when Faust was duly consigned to the nether regions.
    • 1921, William MacLeod Raine, Gunsight Pass, ch. 1:
      The other, dwarfed and prehensile, might in its uncanny silhouette have been an imp of darkness from the nether regions.
  2. (often pluralized, by extension) A place which is subterranean or enclosed beneath a surface, especially one which is dark, dank, or otherwise inhospitable.
    • 1918, Arthur Quiller-Couch, Foe-Farrell, ch. 12:
      But the steward of those nether regions marked him, by the electric lamps, as a lurking passenger to be watched; and wondered who, at that depth in the ship, could be carrying valuables.
  3. (often pluralized, euphemistic, sometimes humorous) The private parts between the legs; the groin or buttocks.
    • 2006 November 29, Sheila Marikar, “Britney Keeps Flashing, Cameras Keep Clicking”, in ABC News[1]:
      The rash of celebrities flashing their nether regions worries Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute of etiquette and manners.
    • 2020 April 22, “Letters: Open Access: Not easy for laptops”, in Rail, page 31:
      But her main concern is the hard seating that numbs the nether regions.

Synonyms

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]