upside English · revision 10545

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1611|origins=en up|origins=en side}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈʌp.saɪd/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of [[up]] and [[side]].^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The upper side or surface of something, the upper part: 1611.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In commerce, an upward movement of share prices or the potential for one is from 1961,^(OED 1989) which led to the general sense, the positive aspect of something.^(SOED 2002)^(COED 2004) The phrase ''upside the head'', of a blow, is from 1970 in African-American speech,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and Merriam-Webster derives the prepositional upside, perhaps, from up and -side as in ''alongside'' (1929).^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1611 – the upper side.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1961 – an upward price movement.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1970 – upside the head.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The upper side or part.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # An advantage or positive aspect: ''the upside of the plan''.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)

+ # An upward trend, as in share prices or profits.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)

+

+ ===Preposition===

+ # ''(informal, chiefly US)'' On or against: ''upside the head''.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[upside down]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[downside]]

+ * [[alongside]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}