below

[bih-loh] /bɪˈloʊ/
adverb
1.
in or toward a lower place:
Look out below!
2.
on, in, or toward a lower level, as a lower deck of a ship:
The captain of the ship went below.
3.
beneath the surface of the water:
Divers were sent below to view the wreck.
4.
on earth:
the fate of creatures here below.
5.
in hell or the infernal regions.
6.
at a later point on a page or in a text:
See the illustration below.
Compare above (def 5).
7.
in a lower rank or grade:
He was demoted to the class below.
8.
under zero on the temperature scale:
The temperature in Buffalo was ten below this morning.
9.
Theater. downstage.
Compare above (def 8).
10.
Zoology. on the lower or ventral side.
preposition
11.
lower down than:
below the knee.
12.
lower in rank, degree, amount, rate, etc., than:
below cost; below freezing.
13.
too low or undignified to be worthy of; beneath:
He considered such an action below his notice.
14.
Theater. downstage of:
There are two chairs below the table.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English bilooghe, equivalent to bi- by (see be-) + looghe low1
Synonyms
11. Below, under, beneath indicate position in some way lower than something else. Below implies being in a lower plane: below the horizon, the water line. Under implies being lower in a perpendicular line: The book is under the chair. Beneath may have a meaning similar to below, but more usually denotes being under so as to be covered, overhung, or overtopped: the pool beneath the falls.
Examples from the web for below
  • Each arises from the lower border of a rib, and is inserted into the upper border of the rib below.
  • Follow the links below for more information on rates and deadlines.
  • Please use the form below to search for a journalist.
  • Click on the map below to see highlights of this walking tour.
  • Unless otherwise noted, the compounds mentioned below are in the early stages of human testing.
  • The reason they are smooth is the thermal structure right below them.
  • Visit the links below for more detailed information.
  • Current rates, he says, are below replacement levels and are unsustainable.
  • View video and photos from our rare interview below.
  • Please submit your nominations, and check out others' below.
British Dictionary definitions for below

below

/bɪˈləʊ/
preposition
1.
at or to a position lower than; under
2.
less than in quantity or degree
3.
south of
4.
downstream of
5.
unworthy of; beneath
adverb
6.
at or to a lower position or place
7.
at a later place (in something written): see below
8.
(archaic) beneath heaven; on earth or in hell
Word Origin
C14: bilooghe, from biby + looghelow1
Word Origin and History for below
adv.

early 14c., biloogh, from be- "by, about" + logh, lou, lowe "low" (see low (adj.)). Apparently a variant of earlier a-lowe (influenced by other adverbs in be-, cf. before), the parallel form to an-high (now on high). Beneath was the usual word; below was very rare in Middle English and gained currency only in 16c. It is frequent in Shakespeare. As a preposition from 1570s. According to Fowler, below is the opposite of above and concerns difference of level and suggests comparison of independent things. Under is the opposite of over and is concerned with superposition and subjection and suggests some interrelation.