The term 'undermined' is the past tense of the word 'undermine'. The word originated by a combination of the words 'under' and 'mine' in 1300 A.D. The figurative sense of the word has been in use since 1430 A.D. The original meaning was literally to 'dig a tunnel or mine underneath something.' Over time, this usage has been abandoned for a more figurative one. Nowadays, the term 'undermine' has been used to denote 'weakening something by eroding the base or the foundation'. There is another meaning to the word which is more or less the same, but with a slight difference. The second meaning of the word is used to denote 'injuring, weakening, or impairing something,' but with a degree of imperceptibility attached to meaning. A good example of this usage is 'Overworking on a daily basis undermined his health.'
The different dictionaries give different variations of the meaning mentioned above. All of them mean more or less the same thing; they are just worded differently.
The different dictionaries give different variations of the meaning mentioned above. All of them mean more or less the same thing; they are just worded differently.
