upright

adj

Etymology: From Middle English upright, uppryght, upriht, from Old English upriht (“upright; erect”), from Proto-Germanic *upprehtaz, equivalent to up- + right. Cognate with Saterland Frisian apgjucht (“upright”), West Frisian oprjocht (“upright”), Dutch oprecht (“upright”), German Low German uprecht (“upright”), German aufrecht (“upright”), Swedish upprätt (“upright”), Icelandic uppréttur (“upright”).

1. Vertical; erect.

   “Fab[ell]: What meanes the tolling of this fatall chime, // O what a trembling horror ſtrikes my hart! // My ſtiffned haire ſtands vpright on my head, // As doe the briſtles of a porcupine.”

   “Supported by pillows, ſhe ſat almoſt upright.”

2. In its proper orientation; not overturned.

   “My brother didn't get angry when his son knocked over the lamp; he simply called the boy over and helped him set it upright again.”

3. Greater in height than breadth.
4. Of good morals; practicing ethical values.

   “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”

5. Having the head approximately at a right angle with the shaft.

adv

Etymology: From Middle English upright, uppryght, upriht, from Old English upriht (“upright; erect”), from Proto-Germanic *upprehtaz, equivalent to up- + right. Cognate with Saterland Frisian apgjucht (“upright”), West Frisian oprjocht (“upright”), Dutch oprecht (“upright”), German Low German uprecht (“upright”), German aufrecht (“upright”), Swedish upprätt (“upright”), Icelandic uppréttur (“upright”).

1. In or into an upright position.

   “I was standing upright, waiting for my orders.”

   “Human locomotion had been presumed unique because we walk upright with two legs. When investigators led by Nadia Dominici analyzed the electrical activities produced by walking toddlers, preschoolers, and adults as well as newborns that were held upright and prodded to walk along a surface, however, they saw that we essentially follow the same chain of motor commands as several other animals, including rats, cats, monkeys, and guinea fowl.”

name

1. A surname.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English upright, uppryght, upriht, from Old English upriht (“upright; erect”), from Proto-Germanic *upprehtaz, equivalent to up- + right. Cognate with Saterland Frisian apgjucht (“upright”), West Frisian oprjocht (“upright”), Dutch oprecht (“upright”), German Low German uprecht (“upright”), German aufrecht (“upright”), Swedish upprätt (“upright”), Icelandic uppréttur (“upright”).

1. Any vertical part of a structure.

   “On the change in architectural forms from the pyramidal to the obeliscar, the fires were transferred from the altars, or cubes, to the summits of the typical uprights, or towers; […]”

2. Any vertical part of a structure.

   “Chelsea improved, with Salomon Kalou denied by goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and Didier Drogba hitting the upright.”

3. Any vertical part of a structure.
4. A word clued by the successive initial, middle, or final letters of the cross-lights in a double acrostic or triple acrostic.
5. Short for upright piano
6. Short for upright arcade game cabinet

   “The video arcade machines are typically in stand up arcade cabinets, although some have been built as tables. The uprights have a monitor and controls in front and players insert coins or tokens into the machines to play the game.”

7. Ellipsis of upright vacuum cleaner.
8. The tips of the antlers of a young deer.

verb

Etymology: From Middle English upright, uppryght, upriht, from Old English upriht (“upright; erect”), from Proto-Germanic *upprehtaz, equivalent to up- + right. Cognate with Saterland Frisian apgjucht (“upright”), West Frisian oprjocht (“upright”), Dutch oprecht (“upright”), German Low German uprecht (“upright”), German aufrecht (“upright”), Swedish upprätt (“upright”), Icelandic uppréttur (“upright”).

1. To set upright or stand back up (something that has fallen).