*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of upend

Etymology tree English up- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *h₂entíos Proto-Germanic *andijaz Proto-West Germanic *andī Old English ende Middle English ende English end English upend From up- + end.

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 ↗
verb

To end up; to set on end. · To tip or turn over. · To destroy, invalidate, overthrow, or defeat. · To affect or upset drastically.

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

Etymology tree English up- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *h₂entíos Proto-Germanic *andijaz Proto-West Germanic *andī Old English ende Middle English ende English end English upend From up- + end.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "up-",
        "4": "end",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish up-\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ent-\nProto-Indo-European *h₂entíos\nProto-Germanic *andijaz\nProto-West Germanic *andī\nOld English ende\nMiddle English ende\nEnglish end\nEnglish upend\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*andijaz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*andī\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"ende\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"ende\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"end\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"upend\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"upend\">\nFrom up- + end."
    },
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    }
  ],
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    [
      "up-",
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    ],
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      "*h₂ent-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ent-"
    ],
    [
      "*h₂entíos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂entíos"
    ],
    [
      "*andijaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/andijaz"
    ],
    [
      "*andī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/andī"
    ],
    [
      "ende",
      "ende#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ende",
      "ende#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "end",
      "end#English"
    ],
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      "up-",
      "up-#English"
    ],
    [
      "end",
      "end#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To end up; to set on end.",
        "To tip or turn over.",
        "To destroy, invalidate, overthrow, or defeat.",
        "To affect or upset drastically."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "figuratively"
      ],
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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 upend →

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-dXBlbmQ