above
/əˈbʌv/ preposition, adverb, adjective, noun
Forms aboue
- preposition Physically over; on top of; worn on top of, said of clothing. “He always put his coat on above his sweater.”
- preposition In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface.
- preposition Farther north than. “Idaho is above Utah.”
- preposition Rising; appearing out of reach height-wise.
- preposition (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. “to cut above average”
- preposition Higher in rank, status, or position. “to stand head and shoulders above the rest”
- preposition (Scotland) In addition to; besides. “above and beyond the call of duty”
- preposition Surpassing in number or quantity; more than. “That amount is way above our asking price.”
- adverb Directly overhead; vertically on top of.
- adverb Higher in the same page; earlier in the order as far as writing products go.
- adverb Into or from heaven; in the sky. “He’s in a better place now, floating free as the clouds above.”
- adverb In a higher place; upstairs; farther upstream.
- adverb Higher in rank, power, or position. “He appealed to the court above.”
- adverb (archaic) In addition.
- adverb More in number.
- adverb Above zero; above freezing. “It was a cold day at only 5 above.”
- adjective Of heaven; heavenly.
- adjective (by ellipsis) Being located higher on the same page or on a preceding page.
- noun Heaven.
- noun Something, especially a person's name in legal documents, that appears higher on the same page or on a preceding page.
Synonyms
Antonyms
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, the adjective, and the noun derive from the adverb.
Webster’s 1913
- preposition In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface; over; --opposed to below or beneath.
- preposition Figuratively, higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; beyond; higher in measure or degree than; as, things above comprehension; above mean actions; conduct above reproach. "Thy worth . . . is actions above my gifts." Marlowe.
- adverb In a higher place; overhead; into or from heaven; as, the clouds above.
- adverb Earlier in order; higher in the same page; hence, in a foregoing page. "That was said above." Dryden.
Etymology [OE. above, aboven, abuffe, AS. abufon; an (or on) on + be by + ufan upward; cf. Goth. uf under. *199. See Over.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “above”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details