'underpowered' originates from English, specifically the elements 'under-' (from Old English 'under') and 'power' (from Old French 'pouvoir', ultimately from Latin 'potere'), where 'under-' meant 'below' or 'insufficient' and 'power' meant 'ability' or 'force'.

'under-' + 'power' formed a compound in Modern English; the adjective 'underpowered' developed by combining the prefix 'under-' with the noun 'power' to describe something with insufficient power.

Initially, the components meant 'below/insufficient' and 'ability/force'; combined, the modern adjective has come to mean 'having insufficient power' and is used both literally (engines, devices) and figuratively (teams, arguments).