upkeep

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈʌpkip/ UK /ˈʌpkiːp/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the cost or process of maintaining something in good condition

The upkeep of the old estate drained the family's fortune.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the cost or process of... maintenance preservation care repair conservation support

Opposites

neglectdisrepairdilapidation

Word family

Related forms keep up

Etymology

A compound of up plus keep, formed in English in the 19th century; keep is from Old English cēpan ('to seize, hold, observe').

up Middle English cēpan Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

# upkeep

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈʌpkip
**IPA (UK):** ˈʌpkiːp

## Meanings
1. the cost or process of maintaining something in good condition

## Examples
- The upkeep of the old estate drained the family's fortune.

## Synonyms
- maintenance
- preservation
- care
- repair
- conservation
- support

## Antonyms
- neglect
- disrepair
- dilapidation

## Related Forms
- keep
- up

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: up
- Root: cēpan

## Etymology
A compound of up plus keep, formed in English in the 19th century; keep is from Old English cēpan ('to seize, hold, observe').

## AI Etymology
Upkeep is a compound of up plus keep, formed in English in the 19th century; keep is from Old English cēpan ('to seize, hold, observe'). In current use it is a noun meaning "the cost or process of maintaining something in good condition". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The historical chain includes Old English up and Old English cēpan. Related English forms include keep and up. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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