above

alternative obsolete aboue

1. Physically over; on top of; worn on top of, said of clothing.First known use first attested before 1150.

   He always put his coat on above his sweater.

2. In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface.First known use first attested before 1150

   And God said, Let the waters bring foorth aboundantly the mouing creature that hath life, and foule that may flie aboue the earth in the open firmament of heauen.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 1:20

   2 more examples

   Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps, […] and the light of the reflector fell full upon her.

   1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

   Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.

   2013 May-June, William E. Conner, “An Acoustic Arms Race”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, pages 206–7

   Antonyms: below, beneath

3. Farther north than.First known use first attested before 1150

   Idaho is above Utah.

4. Rising; appearing out of reach height-wise.First known use first attested around 1150–1350
5. figurativelyHigher 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 known use first attested around 1150–1350

   to cut above average

   5 more examples

   Even the chief of police is not above suspicion.

   He was always above reproach.

   I thought you said you were above these kinds of antics.

   That's above my comprehension.

   Thy worth, sweet friend, is far above my gifts,

   1594, Christopher Marlowe, Edward II, act I, scene i

6. Higher in rank, status, or position.First known use first attested around 1150–1350

   to stand head and shoulders above the rest

   1 more example

   ☞ This word [wrap] is often pronounced wrop, rhyming with top, even by ſpeakers much above the vulgar.

   1791, John Walker, A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary […] , London: Sold by G. G. J. and J. Robinſon, Paternoſter Row; and T. Cadell, in the Strand, →OCLC, page 557

7. ScotlandIn addition to; besides.First known use first attested around 1150–1350

   over and above

   1 more example

   above and beyond the call of duty

8. Surpassing in number or quantity; more than.First known use first attested around 1350–1470

   That amount is way above our asking price.

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

    The owner was above taking more than a token salary.

11. Beyond; on the other side.
12. entertainmentUpstage of.

alternative obsolete aboue

1. not comparableDirectly overhead; vertically on top of.First known use first attested before 1150.

   Of all the transitions brought about on the Earth’s surface by temperature change, the melting of ice into water is the starkest. It is binary. And for the land beneath, the air above and the life around, it changes everything.

   2013 May 11, “The climate of Tibet: Pole-land”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8835, page 80

2. not comparableHigher in the same page; earlier in the order as far as writing products go.First known use first attested before 1150.

   Nobody has lived in it since the summer of 1879, and it is fast going to pieces. For some three years before the date mentioned above, it was occupied by the family of Charles May

   1913, Ambrose Bierce, Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories

   1 more example

   That angels are men in the most complete form, and enjoy every sense, may be seen above (n. 73-77); and that the light in heaven is far brighter than the light in the world (n. 126-132).

   1905, Emanuel Swedenborg, chapter 19, in Heaven and Hell

3. not comparableInto or from heaven; in the sky.First known use first attested around 1150–1350

   He’s in a better place now, floating free as the clouds above.

4. not comparableIn a higher place; upstairs; farther upstream.First known use first attested around 1150–1350
5. not comparableHigher in rank, power, or position.First known use first attested around 1150–1350

   He appealed to the court above.

6. archaicnot comparableIn addition.First known use first attested around 1150–1350
7. not comparableMore in number.First known use first attested around 1350–1470
8. not comparableAbove zero; above freezing.First known use first attested in the mid 20ᵗʰ century.

   It was a cold day at only 5 above.

9. not comparablebiologyOn the upper half or the dorsal surface of an animal.

   The sparrow I saw was rufous above and off-white below.

alternative obsolete aboue

1. not comparableOf heaven; heavenly.First known use first attested around (1150 to 1350).
2. not comparableby ellipsisBeing located higher on the same page or on a preceding page.First known use first attested in the mid 18ᵗʰ century.

alternative obsolete aboue

1. uncountableHeaven.First known use first attested around 1150–1350

   A brother from another mother, sent from the above.

   1998, “Twinz”, in Capital Punishment, performed by Big Pun and Fat Joe

2. uncountableSomething, especially a person's name in legal documents, that appears higher on the same page or on a preceding page.
3. uncountableHigher authority.
4. archaicuncountableBetterment, raised status or condition.

   Withal they saw of him that he had no doubt but that they should come to their above on the morrow,

   1896, William Morris, The Well at the World's End