English word origin

Etymology of up-

From Middle English up-, from Old English ūp- (“up-”), from ūp (“up, from above”). Cognate with Dutch op- (“up-”), German auf- (“up-”). More at up.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

prefix

Used to indicate increase. · Used to indicate higher position or direction, literally or figuratively.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English up-, from Old English ūp- (“up-”), from ūp (“up, from above”). Cognate with Dutch op- (“up-”), German auf- (“up-”). More at up.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionup-enm
Inherited-form mentionūp-ang
Cognate mentionop-nl
Cognate mentionauf-de

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "up-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English up-"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ūp-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "up-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ūp- (“up-”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "op-",
        "3": "",
        "4": "up-"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch op- (“up-”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "auf-",
        "3": "",
        "4": "up-"
      },
      "expansion": "German auf- (“up-”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "up-",
      "up-#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ūp-",
      "up-#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ūp",
      "up#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "op-",
      "op-#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "auf-",
      "auf-#German"
    ],
    [
      "up",
      "up#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to indicate increase.",
        "Used to indicate higher position or direction, literally or figuratively."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "64a1a98f8f74e8297c92fd71dd0768efd8bb5558dc33e87be05341de2bf0c5fd",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bacefdd12fd057c29f6e930721031e7239907434f72f428035ff20dbe9000cb5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1438032
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for up- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-dXAt