English
comeuppance
Comeuppance comes from English up ‘to appear before a judge’.
- English1500–presentup‘to appear before a judge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1883comeuppance
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- English1500–presentup‘to appear before a judge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1883comeuppance
Earliest quotation: 1883, Albion Winegar Tourgée, The Continent; an illustrated weekly magazine: “So when Brown's second wife turned out a reg'lar…”
Linked words
through English up ‘to appear before a judge’
Today it means
noun Retribution or outcome that is justly deserved.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English up / comeuppance