Meanings
- To a high position; or up in, or to, the sky; above.
So thick a haze o’erspreads the sky, / They cannot see the Sun on high; / The wind hath blown a gale all day, / At evening it hath died away.
1796–1798 (date written; published 1802), Robert Southey, “The Inchcape Rock”, in The Poetical Works of Robert Southey. […], volume VI, London: […] [Andrew Spottiswoode] for Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans, […], published 1838, →OCLC, page 1371 more example
His [a horse's] back would be so glossy, / His sides so smooth and brown, / I'd have to hold his collar / To keep from slipping down! / And jogging on the roadway, / The people passing by / Would turn to smile at Bonny / With me set up on high.
c. 1920s–1930s, Elizabeth Fleming, “The Ploughman”, in School Journal, volume 32, Wellington, New Zealand: School Publications Branch, Department of Education, published 1938, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 112 - literaryspecificallyChristianityUp in, or to, Heaven.
Who is like vnto the Lord our God: who dwelleth on high: […]
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 113:5, column 11 more example
The trumpet ſhall be heard on high, / The dead ſhall live, the living die, / And Muſic ſhall untune the ſky.
1687, John Dryden, “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day, 1687”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume II, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 271
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*kewk-“height; to elevate”
- Old Englishon hēagum“on high”
- Middle Englishon heigh
- Englishon high
From Middle English on heigh, on an heigh (“in or into heaven; up to heaven”) [and other forms], from Old English on hēagum (“on high”); hēagum is an inflected form of hēah (“high; tall”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kewk- (“height; to elevate”). The English word is equivalent to on + high. Compare Dutch omhoog (“upwards, on high”), West Frisian omheech (“upwards”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὕψι, ὑψοῦ
- ὕψι (húpsi)to a high position; or up in, or to, the sky — see also above, aloft
- ὑψοῦ (hupsoû)to a high position; or up in, or to, the sky — see also above, aloft
Dutch omhoog, omhoog
- omhoogto a high position; or up in, or to, the sky — see also above, aloft
- omhoogup in, or to, Heaven
Irish suas
- suasto a high position; or up in, or to, the sky — see also above, aloft
Latin altē
- altēto a high position; or up in, or to, the sky — see also above, aloft
Russian свысока́
- свысока́ (svysoká)to a high position; or up in, or to, the sky — see also above, aloft
Swedish i höjden
- i höjdenup in, or to, Heaven
Tamil ஏற
- ஏற (ēṟa)to a high position; or up in, or to, the sky — see also above, aloft
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with on high
All rhymes →Cite this entry
on high. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20high
“on high.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20high. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on high,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20high.
Source: on high on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.