upper
pronunciation
How to pronounce upper in British English:
UK [ˈʌpə(r)]
How to pronounce upper in American English:
US [ˈʌpər]
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- Noun:
- the higher of two berths
- piece of leather that forms the part of a shoe or boot above the sole
- a central nervous system stimulant that increases energy and decreases appetite; used to treat narcolepsy and some forms of depression
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- Adjective:
- higher in place or position
- the topmost one of two
- superior in rank or accomplishment
Word Origin
- upper (adj.)
- c. 1300, originally comparative of up (adj.). Similar formation in Middle Dutch upper, Dutch opper, Low German upper, Norwegian yppare. Upper hand "advantage" is late 15c., perhaps from wrestling (get the over-hand in the same sense is from early 14c.). Upperclassman is recorded from 1871. Upper crust is attested from mid-15c. in reference to the top crust of a loaf of bread, 1836 in reference to society. Upper middle class (adj.) is recorded from 1835. Upper ten thousand (1844) was common mid-19c. for "wealthier and more aristocratic part of a large community;" hence uppertendom.
- upper (n.)
- "part of a shoe above the sole," 1789, from upper (adj.). Sense of "stimulant drug" is from 1968, agent noun from up (v.).
Example
- 1. The stalled bill would severely prune the upper house .
- 2. The rippling is a result of upper atmospheric waves .
- 3. The upper yellow and red pennant means combat readiness .
- 4. The measure still needs upper house approval and the president 's signature .
- 5. So much for an upper east side fairy tale .