Where does “upkeep” come from?
Upkeep is a compound of English up and keep, with up tracing to Old English upp, Proto-Germanic upp and ub, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European ǵab- and h₃ewp-.
upkeep (English): Maintenance; the act or effort of keeping...
Definitions
- Maintenance; the act or effort of keeping...
Ancestry of “upkeep”, step by step
upkeep traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English keep
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | keep | To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain |
| 2 | Middle English | kepen | to keep, guard, look after, watch |
| 3 | Old English | cēpan | to seize, hold, observe |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *kōpijan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kōpijaną | to look after, observe; to watch, keep, care for |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵab- | — |