underworld
Meaning
the world of criminals or of organized crime.
(in mythology) the world of the dead, imagined as being under the earth.
Structure
Usage
the police have been trying to infiltrate the city's violent underworld.
in the epic, the hero descends into the underworld to speak with the spirit of his father.
the film noir genre often explores the shadowy dealings of the criminal underworld.
Etymology
the word 'underworld' is a transparent compound formed from two native old english elements: 'under' and 'world'. its literal meaning, 'the world beneath', was first applied in mythology to describe the subterranean abode of the dead, such as hades in greek mythology or hel in norse belief. this concrete, spatial concept was later extended metaphorically in the late 19th century to refer to the hidden, subterranean-like realm of criminal society, which operates beneath the surface of respectable, lawful society. the semantic logic thus evolved from a physical 'world below' to a figurative one, both sharing connotations of being concealed, separate, and often sinister.
Analysis
under (old english, meaning 'beneath, below'); world (old english, meaning 'human existence, the earth, age')