See Also:

above (iou)



above adverb, preposition, adjective, & noun. OE.
[from A preposition1 1 repr. Old English on + bufan BOVE. For illustration of senses, a and bove are here taken together: see note below.]
A. adverb.
Overhead; vertically up; on high. OE.
Heavens above: see HEAVEN noun.
Dickens A wooden stair leading above. M. Spark Mary cast her eyes around her and up above.
b. In or to heaven. ME.
Tennyson Trust in things above.
Higher on a sheet or page; earlier in a book or article. OE.
above-cited, above-mentioned, above-named, above-quoted, above-said, above-written, etc.
In a higher place; further up. ME.
Geoffrey Hill The tough pig-headed salmon strove..To reach the steady hills above.
In a higher rank, position, or station. ME.
In addition, besides. ME.
OVER AND ABOVE adverbial phr.
More in number or quantity. (Almost always with numeral following, passing into preposition: see sense B.8 below.) LME.
b. Above zero; above freezing point. M20.
b. preposition.
Over; vertically up from; on the top of. OE.
above one's head: see HEAD noun. above water: see WATER noun. keep one's head above water: see WATER noun.
E. St V. Millay Above the world is stretched the sky.
In a higher place than; further up from; further north than. OE.
above ground: see GROUND noun. above the gangway: see GANGWAY 3b. above the salt: see SALT noun1.
E. Hemingway The attack would cross the river above the narrow gorge.
Rising or appearing beyond the level or reach of. ME.
L. Hughes This college on the hill above Harlem. fig.: J. B. Priestley Even above the screeching.., voices can be heard.
Superior to (the influence of); not condescending to. ME.
M. Moore Till the poets among us can be..above insolence and triviality.
Higher in rank, position, etc. than. ME.
J. Heller You'll be marrying far above you.
Higher in degree or quality than. ME.
above all beyond everything, chiefly. above measure: see MEASURE noun. above oneself lacking self-control because of high spirits etc. above price: see PRICE noun. above reproach: see REPROACH noun. above suspicion: see SUSPICION noun.
In addition to; besides. ME.
above and beyond more than and different from. OVER AND ABOVE prepositional phr.
Surpassing in quantity, amount, or number. (Passing into adverb: see sense A.6 above.) LME.
above par: see PAR noun1.
Shakespeare Hamlet It was never acted; or, if it was, not above once.
C. noun & adjective.
Ellipt. after prepositions (chiefly from): a higher place; heaven. ME.
Bible (AV): James 1:17 Euery perfect gift is from aboue.
Attrib. & absol.: with ellipsis of a pple as said, mentioned, etc. M18.
G. B. Shaw Reading the above after a lapse of 28 years. T. Stoppard During the above speech French is becoming increasingly agitated.
Comb.: aboveground adjective & noun (a) adjective that is above ground; that is not underground (lit. & fig.); (b) noun the part of society that is not underground.
? In Old English abufan was north. and only adverbial, but by the end of 13 it had acquired the preposition uses of and generally replaced bufan BOVE, which became obsolete in 15.