English

Alternative forms

• netherregion

Noun

nether region ‎(plural nether regions)

1. (often pluralized) ****; a realm beneath the surface of the earth conceived as the abode of the souls of the dead and, sometimes, as the abode of demons or evil spirits.
   • 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, ch. 23:

     At this instant old Roger Chillingworth thrust himself through the crowd—or, perhaps, so dark, disturbed, and evil was his look, he rose up out of some nether region.

   • 1890, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Firm of Girdlestone, ch. 25:

     None of them were sorry when Faust was duly consigned to the nether regions.

   • 1921, William MacLeod Raine, Gunsight Pass, ch. 1:

     The other, dwarfed and prehensile, might in its uncanny silhouette have been an imp of darkness from the nether regions.

2. (often pluralized, by extension) A place which is subterranean or enclosed beneath a surface, especially one which is dark, dank, or otherwise inhospitable.
   • 1918, Arthur Quiller-Couch, Foe-Farrell, ch. 12:

     But the steward of those nether regions marked him, by the electric lamps, as a lurking passenger to be watched; and wondered who, at that depth in the ship, could be carrying valuables.

3. (often pluralized, euphemistic, sometimes humorous) The groin or buttocks.
   • 2006 November 29, Sheila Marikar, “Britney Keeps Flashing, Cameras Keep Clicking”, in ABC News:

     The rash of celebrities flashing their nether regions worries Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute of etiquette and manners.

Synonyms

• (****; a realm beneath the earth): Hades, netherworld, underworld

See also

• nether cheek