Where does “upstate” come from?

Upstate comes from English up and Latin status, derived from Latin sto meaning to stand, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- meaning to stand or be firm.

upstate (English): The northern section of a state; Of the northern...

Definitions

  1. The northern section of a state; Of the northern...

Ancestry of “upstate”, step by step

upstate traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English State

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishStateA current governing polity; The current governing...
2Middle Englishstatcondition
3Old Frenchestatstate; government; condition
4Latinstātusfixed, set, having been set
5Latinstōto stand
6Proto-Italicstaēōstand
7Proto-Indo-Europeansth₂éh₁yetito stand
8Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-

via English up

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishupAway from the surface of the Earth or other...
2Middle Englishupto a vertical axis
3Old Englishuppup; upstairs
4Proto-West Germanic*upp

Words derived from “upstate

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-