under-sourced
|un-der-sourced|
🇺🇸
/ˌʌn.dɚˈsɔrst/
🇬🇧
/ˌʌn.dəˈsɔːst/
(under-source)
not enough sources
Etymology
'under-sourced' is a modern English compound formed from 'under' + 'sourced'. 'Under' comes from Old English 'under' meaning 'beneath' or (by extension) 'insufficient', and 'source' comes via Old French 'sourse/sourche' from Latin roots related to 'to rise' (a spring or origin). The '-ed' marks the past participle/adjectival form.
'under' (Old English) + the verb 'to source' (derived from Old French 'sourse' → Middle English 'source') combined in modern English to create phrases like 'under-source' and the adjective/past-participle 'under-sourced' in contemporary usage (20th century onward), often in journalistic and editorial contexts.
Originally 'under' meant 'beneath' and 'source' meant 'origin' (a spring). Over time the compound came to mean 'supplied with too few sources' or 'insufficiently referenced', a specialized modern editorial sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'under-source' (to provide insufficient sources for something).
The claim was under-sourced, so readers found it hard to trust.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
insufficiently supplied with sources or citations; lacking adequate references.
The Wikipedia entry was under-sourced and flagged for improvement.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/15 05:25