Etymologically
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upload

Etymology and origin of the English word upload

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1977
Ultimate origin
English (load)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: verb: UK /ʌpˈləʊd/, US /ʌpˈloʊd/; noun: UK /ˈʌp.ləʊd/, US /ˈʌp.loʊd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from up and load,[2][3] as the opposite of download.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To transfer data or programs to another, usually central or remote, computer: 1977 in Merriam-Webster, by 1980 in Etymonline.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The verb arose with networked computing,[5][4] and there is also a noun, an upload, with the stress on the first syllable.[1]

Timeline

  • 1977 – to upload.[3]
  • by 1980 – first record in Etymonline.[2]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To transfer data or a program from one's own computer or device to another, usually remote, computer.

Noun

  1. A file or data that is uploaded, or the act of uploading.

References

  1. ^ a b Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Upload.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/upload. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·