upon

A2 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

US /əˈpɑn/ UK /əˈpɒn/ See IPA manual

Freq #1086

Meanings

1

prep
On; resting on the surface of something (a more formal word than 'on').

A vase of flowers stood upon the table.
2

prep
Immediately after or at the moment of something happening.

Upon his arrival, everyone stood to greet him.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 prep · on; resting on the surface... on

Word family

Forms pon

Appears in

Phrases (4)

See all

encroach upon
to gradually intrude on another person's space, rights, or activities

Verb + preposition/particle
enter upon
to take possession of land or property

Verb + preposition/particle
obtrude upon
to intrude on someone or something in an unwelcome way

Verb + preposition/particle
stumble upon
to discover something or meet someone unexpectedly, without deliberately searching

Verb + preposition/particle

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Germanic *ub Proto-Germanic *upp Proto-West Germanic *upp Old English upp Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-der. Proto-Germanic *an Proto-West Germanic *ana Old English on Old English uppan Middle English upon English upon From Middle English upon, uppon, uppen, from Old English upon, uppon, uppan (“on, upon, up to, against, after, in addition to”), equivalent to up (“adverb”) + on (“preposition”). Cognate with Old Saxon uppan (“upon”), Old High German ūfan, ūffan (“upon”), Icelandic upp á, upp á (“up on, upon”), Swedish uppå (“up on, upon”) (thence Swedis…

upon Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words Register & Style

External links

# upon

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** prep
**IPA (US):** /əˈpɑn/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈpɒn/
**Frequency rank:** 1086

## Meanings
1. On; resting on the surface of something (a more formal word than 'on').
2. Immediately after or at the moment of something happening.

## Examples
- A vase of flowers stood upon the table.
- Upon his arrival, everyone stood to greet him.

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: upon

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Germanic *ub Proto-Germanic *upp Proto-West Germanic *upp Old English upp Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-der. Proto-Germanic *an Proto-West Germanic *ana Old English on Old English uppan Middle English upon English upon From Middle English upon, uppon, uppen, from Old English upon, uppon, uppan (“on, upon, up to, against, after, in addition to”), equivalent to up (“adverb”) + on (“preposition”). Cognate with Old Saxon uppan (“upon”), Old High German ūfan, ūffan (“upon”), Icelandic upp á, upp á (“up on, upon”), Swedish uppå (“up on, upon”) (thence Swedis…

## AI Etymology
Upon is from Middle English upon, uppon, uppen, from Old English upon, uppon, uppan (“on, upon, up to, against, after, in addition to”), equivalent to up (“adverb”) + on (“preposition”). The historical chain runs through Middle English upon, Old English upon. In present-day use, it can mean on; resting on the surface of something (a more formal word than 'on'), or immediately after or at the moment of something happening.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words
- Register & Style

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