Etymologically
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upstairs

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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.
  • 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)