Upper
/ˈʌpər/noun
Situated above something else; higher in position, rank, or degree.
Did you know?‘Upper’ comes from the same old Germanic source as ‘up,’ so the word literally encodes elevation before it ever meant status.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*upo
“under, below; up from below in some extensions”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*ūpiz
“up, upward”
Old English
English
ūferra / ufera
“higher, upper; more elevated”
Middle English
English
upper
“higher, above, superior in position”
Modern English
English
upper
“situated above something else; higher in position, rank, or degree”