upstairs

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌʌpˈstɛəz/, /ˈʌpˌstɛəz/ (UK); /ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/, /ˈʌpˌstɛɹz/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is from English up + stairs, from the verbal phrase up stairs.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

So as to go up a flight of stairs, to an upper floor: 1584 in Merriam-Webster, the 1590s in Etymonline, 1596 in the OED.^[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective, on an upper floor, it is from 1781–82,^[2][4] and the noun, the upper floors of a building, is attested by 1872.^[2][4] Kicked upstairs, promoted to get someone out of the way, goes back to a remark by Lord Halifax recorded about 1697.^[2][4] In Parliament, sending a bill upstairs referred it to a committee, from 1835,^[4] and in aviation going upstairs meant climbing into the air, from 1908.^[4] The adjective sense, characteristic of the family's rooms as opposed to the servants' quarters, is from 1942.^[2]

Timeline

• 1584 – upstairs (adverb).^[3]
• c. 1697 – kicked upstairs.^[4]
• 1782 – upstairs (adjective).^[2]
• 1872 – the upstairs (noun).^[2][4]
• 1942 – upstairs life.^[2]

Modern meaning

Adverb

1. Up the stairs; to or on an upper floor.
2. To or at a higher rank or level.
3. (informal) In the mind: a little weak upstairs.

Adjective

1. On an upper floor.

Noun

1. The upper floor or floors of a building.

Related words

• downstairs
• stair
• stairs

Usage notes

In Yorkshire, Cheshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire dialect, to be upstairs meant to be confined to bed.^[5]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)