Etymology

blow up

Today it means: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see blow, up. Full definition →

Middle English blow up
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The story

  1. Middle English · derived fromupblowen
  2. Middle English · inherited fromblow up
  3. English todayblow up

From Middle English blow up, blowe up, dissimilated forms of earlier Middle English upblowen (> English upblow), equivalent to blow + up. Compare West Frisian opblaze (“to blow up, inflate”), Dutch opblazen (“to blow up, inflate”), German aufblähen and aufblasen (“to blow up, inflate”), Swedish blåsa upp (“to blow up, inflate”), Icelandic blása upp (“to blow up, inflate”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐌱𐌻𐌴𐍃𐌰𐌽 (ufblēsan, “to blow or puff up”).

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishupblowen all →

upblow

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.