understory

Meaning

1. (US, also, dated, figuratively) A story of a building below the stories generally used for residence or work.
2. (US, also, attributive) The (layer of) plants that grow in the shade of the canopy of a forest above the forest floor.

Synonyms

underwood

underbrush

shrub layer

underroof

Translations

Unterholz

Unterstand

sous-bois

camada de vegetação rasteira

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈʌndəstɔːɹi/

Etymology

PIE word
*(H)n̥dʰér
From under- (prefix meaning ‘beneath, under’) + story (“a floor or level”).