undergone

Undergone is the past participle form of the English verb undergo. The verb means to experience or endure a process, change, or procedure, especially something challenging or transformative. It is used with perfect tenses to indicate completion, as in has undergone, have undergone, or had undergone.

The simple past tense of undergo is underwent, as in "She underwent surgery last year." The past participle undergone is used in perfect constructions, e.g., "She has undergone several tests," "The city has undergone rapid changes," or "They had undergone extensive training." In everyday English, the passive voice is rarely necessary with this verb; the active form is typically preferred: "The patient underwent surgery" rather than a passive equivalent.

Common usages include medical contexts (undergo surgery, undergo a procedure, undergo tests), examinations or inspections (undergo an audit, undergo evaluation), and broader experiences (undergo changes, undergo renovations, undergo hardships). The term often conveys a sense of exposure to a process rather than voluntary initiation.

Etymology: undergo originates from Old English undergān, from under- meaning “under” and gān meaning “to go,” with the sense of going through or enduring a process. Over time, it expanded to cover a wide range of experiences beyond physical movement, including changes, examinations, and procedures.

Notes: Although synonyms like experience or endure exist, undergo emphasizes the experience of being subjected to something rather than initiating it. It is commonly paired with nouns referring to procedures, tests, or changes.