above

English Online Dictionary. What means above‎? What does above mean?

English

Alternative forms

• aboue (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English above, aboven, abuven, from Old English ābufan, onbufan, from on (“on”) + bufan (“over”), (akin to Icelandic ofan (“from above”), Middle Dutch bōven, Old Frisian bova, Middle High German bobene) from bī (“by”) + ufan (“over”); also cognate with Danish oven, Dutch boven, German oben, Swedish ovan, Old Saxon oƀan, Old High German obana.

The preposition, adjective and the noun derive from the adverb.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ə-bŭvʹ IPA^(key): /əˈbʌv/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈbʌv/
• Rhymes: -ʌv

Preposition

above

1. Physically over; on top of; worn on top of, said of clothing. [first attested before 1150.]

2. In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface. [first attested before 1150]

   Antonyms: below, beneath
3. Farther north than. [first attested before 1150]

4. Rising; appearing out of reach height-wise. [first attested around 1150–1350]
5. (figuratively) Higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; higher in measure, degree, volume, or pitch, etc. than; out of reach; not exposed to; not likely to be affected by; incapable of negative actions or thoughts. [first attested around 1150–1350]
6. Higher in rank, status, or position. [first attested around 1150–1350]
7. (Scotland) In addition to; besides. [first attested around 1150–1350]

8. Surpassing in number or quantity; more than. [first attested around 1350–1470]

9. In preference to.
10. Too proud to stoop to; averse to; disinclined towards;

11. Beyond; on the other side.
12. (theater) Upstage of.

Usage notes

• (surpassing in number or quantity): passing into the adverbial sense.

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

above (not comparable)

1. Directly overhead; vertically on top of. [first attested before 1150.]
2. Higher in the same page; earlier in the order as far as writing products go. [first attested before 1150.]
3. Into or from heaven; in the sky. [first attested around 1150–1350]

4. In a higher place; upstairs; farther upstream. [first attested around 1150–1350]
5. Higher in rank, power, or position. [first attested around 1150–1350]

6. (archaic) In addition. [first attested around 1150–1350]
7. More in number. [first attested around 1350–1470]
8. Above zero; above freezing. [first attested in the mid 20^th century.]

9. (biology) On the upper half or the dorsal surface of an animal.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

above (not comparable)

1. Of heaven; heavenly. [first attested around (1150 to 1350).]
2. (by ellipsis) Being located higher on the same page or on a preceding page. [first attested in the mid 18^th century.]

Usage notes

• Above is often used elliptically as an adjective by omitting the word said, mentioned, quoted, or the like:
  • the above(-said) observations
  • the above(-cited) reference
  • the above(-quoted) articles

Translations

Noun

above (uncountable)

1. Heaven. [first attested around 1150–1350]
2. Something, especially a person's name in legal documents, that appears higher on the same page or on a preceding page.
3. Higher authority.
4. (archaic) betterment, raised status or condition.

Usage notes

The preposition above is often used further elliptically as a noun by omitting the associated noun, where it is should be clear what is omitted: e.g. See the above.

Related terms

• abovesaid
• aboves'd

Translations

See also

• Category:English phrasal verbs with particle (above)

References

• Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "The vertical axis", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8
• Laurence Urdang (editor), The Random House College Dictionary (Random House, 1984 [1975], →ISBN), page 4
• Elliott K. Dobbie, C. William Dunmore, Robert K. Barnhart, et al. (editors), Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2004 [1998], →ISBN), page 4
• “above”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “above”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “above, prep.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.