Etymograph

English

up

Up comes from Middle English up ‘to a vertical axis’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *upp ‘up, upwards’.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*upp1‘up’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*upp1reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150upp1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500up1‘to a vertical axis’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1593up1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English up
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […]: “The fearefull newes that whilſt the flame doth but…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*uppWiktionary, English up‘up’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*uppWiktionary, English upreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150uppWiktionary, English up
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500upWiktionary, English up‘to a vertical axis’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1593upWiktionary, English up. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […]: “The fearefull newes that whilſt the flame doth but…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up’

suggest, sub, sum, suspicion, hypo, subaltern, 8 more

through Proto-Germanic *ub ‘under’

above, oft

through Proto-Germanic *upp ‘up, upwards’

opening, upwards, ope, 2 more

through Proto-West Germanic *upp

upward, 1 more

through Middle English up ‘to a vertical axis’

upper

Today it means

adv Away from the surface of the Earth or other planet; in opposite direction to the downward pull of gravity.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “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 / Proto-Germanic *upp / up

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