'underproduce' originates from English, specifically a combination of the prefix 'under-' (from Old English 'under') and the verb 'produce' which ultimately comes from Latin, specifically the word 'producere', where 'pro-' meant 'forward' and 'ducere' meant 'to lead/bring'.

'produce' changed from Latin 'producere' to Old French 'produire' and Middle English forms such as 'producen', eventually becoming the modern English 'produce'; the prefix 'under-' comes from Old English 'under' and was combined with 'produce' in later English to form 'underproduce' and its derivatives like 'underproduced'.

Initially, 'produce' meant 'to lead or bring forth'; over time it evolved to mean 'to create or manufacture', and the compound 'underproduce' came to mean 'to produce too little' or 'to produce insufficiently'.