Etymology

upwards

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Today it means: Towards a (higher) position closer to the sky than the ground. Full definition →

Middle English upwardes ← Old English upweardes
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromupweardes
  2. Middle English · inherited fromupwardes
  3. English todayupwards

From Middle English upwardes, from Old English upweardes, equivalent to up + -wards. Cognate with Dutch opwaarts (“upwards”), German aufwärts (“upwards”).

Words from the same roots

Old Englishupweardes all →

upward

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.