'neath
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From a misunderstanding of neath as an apheretic form of beneath, when it is in fact the older and original (or prefixless) form thereof.
See and compare 'til (from till, the origin of until) for a similar case, as well as fore (whence before).
Preposition
[edit]'neath
- (poetic) Alternative spelling of neath; beneath.
- 1973, Al Jardine, “California Saga (California)”, in Holland, performed by The Beach Boys:
- Have you ever been south of Monterey? / Barrancas carve the coastline / And the chaparral flows to the sea / ’Neath waves of golden sunshine
1973, “Stand and Sing of Zambia, Strong and Free”:- One land and one nation is our cry, / Dignity and peace 'neath Zambia's sky
- 2002, The Decemberists, “Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect”, in Castaways and Cutouts, performed by The Decemberists, track 1:
- And here in Spain I am a Spaniard / I will be buried with my marionettes / Countess and courtesan / Have fallen 'neath my tender hand / When their husbands were not around