Where does “big up” come from?
big up (Jamaican Creole) comes from English big, from Middle English big, from Middle English biggen, from Old Norse byggja, from Proto-Germanic būwijaną, from Proto-Germanic būaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- — to become, grow, appear.
big up (Jamaican Creole): To be thought of as praiseworthy by someone else; to have someone's respect. display of affection or praise
Definitions
- To be thought of as praiseworthy by someone else; to have someone's respect. display of affection or praise
Ancestry of “big up”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | big | Of great size, large; Thought to have undue... |
| 2 | Middle English | big | — |
| 3 | Middle English | biggen | build; dwell |
| 4 | Old Norse | byggja | to settle, build; to inhabit, dwell, live; to let... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | būwijaną | to settle, to inhabit |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | būaną | to dwell, reside |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuH- | to become, grow, appear |