English
upon
Upon comes from Middle English upon, from Old English uppan ‘on, upon’, a compound of up + on.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150uppan‘on, upon’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500upon
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150uppan‘on, upon’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500upon
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “No news of them? Why, so: and I know…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- ‘on, onto’
end, along, ana, anterior, asunder, 8 more
through Old English on ‘onto, into’
Today it means
prep alternative to on in most, though not all, prepositional uses.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English uppan / upon