whereupon

Etymology

It is formed from English where + upon,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} first spelled quorupe-one, and later wher-upon.^[6][5] Etymonline suggests that it may have been felt as a fuller form of whereon, and notes where-up, recorded from the late 13th century.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Upon which, of a place: before 1300, in the lyric “Qvanne I zenke onne”, of the cross: þe rode quorupe-one þu stode.^[6] Etymonline has about 1300.^[3] The OED's first relative example is from Gower, in 1390.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word started with place, "on which", and could also ask a question, "upon what?", as in the Cursor Mundi before 1400.^[2][6] The sense "upon which event, and in consequence of it", the one still in everyday use, is recorded from about 1461 in the Paston letters,^[2] and Etymonline places "following on which" in the early 15th century.^[3] A sense "on which account, for which reason" ran from about 1485 to 1664,^[2] and Shakespeare used the interrogative for "for what reason".^[5] Johnson (1755) gave only "upon which", with quotations such as The townsmen mutinied, and sent to Essex; whereupon he came thither from Clarendon.^[7] The Authorized Version's whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened (Job 38:6) now sounds archaic,^[5] and the local sense survives only in archaic and formal writing.^[4]

Timeline

• before 1300 – upon which, of a place.^[6]
• before 1400 – interrogative, upon what?^[2][6]
• c. 1461 – upon the occurrence of which; immediately after and in consequence of which.^[2]
• c. 1485 – on which account, for which reason (obsolete by 1664).^[2]
• c. 1515 – concerning which.^[2]
• c. 1521 – upon which as a basis of action or argument.^[2]
• 1560 – of direction, on to which, in the Geneva Bible.^[2]

Meanings

Conjunction

1. At which point; immediately after and as a result of which: The bell rang, whereupon the pupils filed out.^[8][2][4]

Adverb

1. (archaic) Upon which; on the top or surface of which.^[5][4]
2. (rare) Concerning which.^[2][4]
3. (archaic) Upon what?^[5][8]
4. (obsolete, c. 1485–1664) On which account; by reason of which.^[2][5][4]

Related words

• whereon
• where
• upon

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
7. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins