Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “upholstery” come from?

upholstery (English) comes from English upholster, from Middle English upholdester, from English uphold, from Middle English upholden, from Middle English up-, from Old English ūp-, from Old English ūp, from Proto-Germanic upp.

upholstery (English): The craft or business of upholstering furniture;...

Definitions

  1. The craft or business of upholstering furniture;...

Ancestry of “upholstery”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishupholsterTo fit padding, stuffing, springs, webbing and...
2Middle Englishupholdester—
3EnglishupholdTo hold up; to lift on high; to elevate; To keep...
4Middle Englishupholdento repair, uphold
5Middle Englishup-—
6Old Englishūp-up-
7Old Englishūpup, from above
8Proto-Germanicuppup, upwards
9Proto-Germanicubunder
10Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “upholstery”

  • reupholstery
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →