- up
- {{11}}up (adv.) O.E. up, uppe, from P.Gmc. *upp- "up" (Cf. O.Fris. up; O.N. upp; Dan., Du. op; O.H.G. uf, Ger. auf "up"; Goth. iup "up, upward," uf "on, upon, under;" OHG oba, Ger. ob "over, above, on, upon"), from PIE root *upo "up from below" (Cf. Skt. upa "near, under, up to, on," Gk. hypo "under, below," L. sub "under;" see SUB- (Cf. sub-)). Meaning "exhilarated, happy" first attested 1815. Musical up tempo (adj.) is recorded from 1948. Up-and-coming "promising" is from 1848. Phrase on the up-(and-up) "honest, straightforward" first attested 1863, Amer.Eng. Up the river "in jail" first recorded 1891, originally in reference to Sing Sing, which is up the Hudson from New York City. To drive someone up the wall (1951) is from the notion of the behavior of lunatics or caged animals. Insulting retort up yours (scil. ass) attested by late 19c.{{12}}up (v.) earliest recorded sense is "to drive and catch (swans)," 1560, from UP (Cf. up) (adv.). Meaning "to get up, rise to one's feet" (as in up and leave) is recorded from 1643. Sense of "to move upward" is recorded from 1737. Meaning "increase" (as in up the price of oil) is attested from 1915. Cf. O.E. verb uppian "to rise." Upping block is attested from 1796.
Etymology dictionary. 2014.