Main Entry: ¹up·per

Pronunciation: \ˈə-pər\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English, comparative of ²up

Date: 14th century

1 a : higher in physical position, rank, or order <the upper lip> <upper management> b : farther inland <the upper Mississippi>
2 : constituting the branch of a bicameral legislature that is usually smaller and more restricted in membership and possesses greater traditional prestige than the lower house
3 a : constituting a stratum relatively near the earth's surface b capitalized : being a later epoch or series of the period or system named <Upper Cretaceous> <Upper Paleolithic>
4 : northern <upper Manhattan>