top

pronunciation

How to pronounce top in British English: UK [tɒp] word uk audio image

How to pronounce top in American English: US [tɑːp] word us audio image

Noun:

the upper part of anything
the highest or uppermost side of anything
the top point of a mountain or hill
the first half of an inning; while the visiting team is at bat
the highest level or degree attainable
the greatest possible intensity
platform surrounding the head of a lower mast
a conical child's plaything tapering to a steel point on which it can be made to spin
covering for a hole (especially a hole in the top of a container)
a garment (especially for women) that extends from the shoulders to the waist or hips
a canvas tent to house the audience at a circus performance
Verb:

go beyond
pass by, over, or under without making contact
be at the top of or constitute the top or highest point
be ahead of others; be the first
provide with a top
reach or ascend the top of
strike (the top part of a ball in golf, baseball, or pool) giving it a forward spin
cut the top off
be the culminating event
finish up or conclude
Adjective:

situated at the top or highest position
not to be surpassed

Word Origin

top: top: English apparently has two distinct words top. The one meaning ‘uppermost part’ [OE] came from a prehistoric Germanic *toppaz, whose original meaning seems to have been ‘tuft of hair on top of the head, topknot’: this sense survived into English, although it has now died out, and amongst the other descendants of *toppaz are German zopf ‘plait’.The Germanic word was borrowed into Old French as top or toup ‘tuft of hair’, which is the ultimate source of English toupee [18]. And a variant of the base from which it was formed may lie behind English tip. Topple [16] is a derivative of top. It is generally assumed that top ‘spinning toy’ [11] is a different word, but it is not known where it came from.=> tip, topple, toupée

top (n.1): "highest point," Old English top "summit, crest, tuft," from Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (cognates: Old Norse toppr "tuft of hair," Old Frisian top "tuft," Old Dutch topp, Dutch top, Old High German zopf "end, tip, tuft of hair," German Zopf "tuft of hair"); no certain connections outside Germanic except a few Romanic words probably borrowed from Germanic. Few Indo-European languages have a word so generic, which can be used of the upper part or surface of just about anything. More typical is German, which has Spitze for sharp peaks (mountains), oberfläche for the upper surface of flat things (such as a table). Meaning "highest position" is from 1620s; meaning "best part" is from 1660s. To go over the top is World War I slang for "start an attack," in reference to the top of the trenches; as "beyond reasonable limits, too far" it is recorded from 1968. Top of the world as "position of greatest eminence" is from 1670s. Top-of-the-line (adj.) is by 1950.

top (n.2): "toy that spins on a point," late Old English top, probably a special use of top (n.1), but the modern word is perhaps via Old French topet, which is from or influenced by a Germanic source akin to the root of English top (n.1). As a type of seashell, first recorded 1680s.

top (v.): "put a top on," 1580s, perhaps mid-15c., from top (n.1). Earlier "cut the top off, shave the head" (c. 1300). The meaning "be higher or greater than" also is first recorded 1580s. Meaning "strike (a ball) towards its top" is from 1881. Related: Topped; topping. To top off "to finish" is colloquial from 1836; in sense "fill up, add more to to bring to fullness" it is from 1917.

top (adj.): "being at the top," 1590s, from top (n.1). Top dollar "high price" is from 1942. Top-drawer (1920) is from British expression out of the top drawer "upper-class." Top ten in popular music is from 1945 ("Billboard"). The top dog is the one uppermost in a fight, from 1868 in figurative use, opposed to the underdog. But if the under dog in the social fight runs away with a bone in violation of superior force, the top dog runs after him bellowing, "Thou shalt not steal," and all the other top dogs unite in bellowing, "This is divine law and not dog law;" the verdict of the top dog so far as law, religion, and other forms of brute force are concerned settles the question. [Van Buren Denslow, "Modern Thinkers: What They Think and Why," 1880]

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3. He said rates used to be much higher for the top earning americans and that we should restore that .

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