UNDERLIE

[verb] [T] underlying, [past simple] underlay, [past participle] underlain - to be an esp. hidden cause of or strong influence on (something)The key events which underlie many of the present government's troubles took place in 1918-22.Psychological problems very often underlie apparently physical disorders.Professor Hill reveals the principles which underlay the political ideology and actions of the party during the 1920s. [T]