Unterliegender
Unterliegender is a German attributive adjective form meaning underlying or lying beneath. It is derived from the prefix unter- (under) and the verb lie/liegen, with the present participle unterliegend commonly used in technical language to describe something that lies beneath another element. The form unterliegender is the masculine nominative singular inflected variant used in attributive position; feminine uses unterliegende, neuter unterliegendes, and plural forms vary with case and article. In practice, the term designates something that forms the base, substrate, or cause of a phenomenon, rather than its surface appearance.
Geology and earth sciences frequently employ the word: die unterliegende Gesteinsschicht (the underlying rock layer). In
Usage notes: The choice between unterliegend and unterliegender follows standard German adjective endings; the exact form