Etymograph

English

step up

Step up comes from English plate ‘take one's turn at bat, take responsibility’.

  1. English1500–presentplate1‘take one's turn at bat, take responsibility’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2011step up1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English step up
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2011, Chris Bevan, Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds: “The Gunners continued to press after the break but…”.

Lineage

  1. English1500–presentplateWiktionary, English step up‘take one's turn at bat, take responsibility’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2011step upWiktionary, English step up. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2011, Chris Bevan, Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds: “The Gunners continued to press after the break but…”

Made of the words step + up

Proto-Indo-European *stebʰ- ‘to support’

Proto-Germanic *stapjaną ‘to step’

Proto-West Germanic *stappjan ‘to step’

Old English steppan ‘to step’

Middle English steppen ‘to step’

English step

Proto-Germanic *upp ‘up’

Proto-West Germanic *upp

Old English upp

Middle English up ‘to a vertical axis’

English up

Every English word from English plate

Today it means

verb To assume or take responsibility.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “step up”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / English plate / step up

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