Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “uppercase” come from?

Uppercase derives from English upper combined with case, which comes from Middle English cas, Old French cas, and Latin casus meaning "fall" or "occasion," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root keh₂p- meaning "to seize."

uppercase (English): written in upper case; capital; Alternative...

Definitions

  1. written in upper case; capital; Alternative...

Ancestry of “uppercase”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishCaseabstract feature of a noun phrase that determines...
2GermanKäsecheese; nonsense
3Middle High Germankæsecheese
4Old High Germankāsi—
5Proto-West Germanickāsīcheese
6Proto-Germanickāsijaz—
7Latincāseus—
8Proto-Indo-Europeankwat-to ferment, become sour; to boil
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kwat- →