Where does “mop up” come from?
mop up (English) comes from English up, from Middle English up, from Old English upp, from Proto-West Germanic *upp.
mop up (English): To clean up with a mop, rag, sponge, or other...
Definitions
- To clean up with a mop, rag, sponge, or other...
Ancestry of “mop up”, step by step
mop up traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English up
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | up | Away from the surface of the Earth or other... |
| 2 | Middle English | up | to a vertical axis |
| 3 | Old English | upp | up; upstairs |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *upp | — |
via English mop
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | mop | An implement for washing floors, or the like,... |
| 2 | Middle English | mappe | — |
| 3 | Walloon | mappe | napkin |
| 4 | Latin | mappa | napkin; starting signal; map |