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Etymology and origin of the English word upon

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
early 12th century
Ultimate origin
English (up)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /əˈpɒn/, US /əˈpɑːn/[1]

Etymology

It is a Middle English compound of up and on,[2][3][4] formed after Old Norse upp á,[5][6][7] continuing Old English uppon, uppan “on, up to, against”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

“Above and touching; upwards so as to be on”: the early 12th century,[2] with the OED's earliest quotations from about 1250.[8]

Semantic evolution

The OED notes that the compound originally expressed elevation as well as contact.[8] The adverb, “on it, on the surface”, is from 1307,[8] and “thereafter”, as in thereupon, from the 14th century.[8] The Century Dictionary observed that upon is by origin more expressive of motion onto an object from above or from the side, but that it is often scarcely more than a synonym of on.[2] Once upon a time and upon my word keep the word in fixed phrases.[5]

Timeline

  • early 12th century – preposition.[2]
  • c. 1250 – above and in contact with.[8]
  • 1307 – adverb.[8]

Modern meaning

Preposition

  1. On; on top of.
  2. Immediately after: upon arrival.
  3. Concerning: to reflect upon.

Adverb

  1. (archaic) On it; thereafter.

Word family

  • hereupon
  • thereupon
  • whereupon
  • put-upon
  • sit-upon
  • up
  • on

References

  1. ^ 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 d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Upon.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/upon. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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