Underwrite

The irregular verb 'to underwrite' is a term from the field of insurance and related matters. In general terms it means 'to guarantee', or 'agree to cover all losses' or 'to agree to take [and pay for] all unsold items'. 'To underwrite' no longer means (as it once did) 'to write under', 'to subscribe' or 'to sign'. The modern usage comes from the 'insurer' or similar person signing the commitment to support whatever business is being underwritten.

'To underwrite' is an irregular verb. Its forms are given here:

Base form	past tense	-ed participle	Remarks
underwrite	underwrote	underwritten	derived from Write (irregular verb)

This is one of the "the 250 or so irregular verbs" listed in Quirk 1985. The list "contains most of the irregular verbs in present-day English ... but is not meant to be exhaustive, particularly with regard to derivative verbs." AWE has copied most of the entries in that list. The verb 'to underwrite' belongs to Quirk's Class 4 C a