on high

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle English on heigh, on an heigh (in or into heaven; up to heaven) [and other forms],[1] from Old English on hēagum (on high); hēagum is an inflected form of hēah (high; tall), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kewk- (height; to elevate). The English word is equivalent to on +‎ high. Compare Dutch omhoog (upwards, on high), West Frisian omheech (upwards).

Pronunciation

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Prepositional phrase

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on high

  1. To a high position; or up in, or to, the sky; above.
    Synonyms: (obsolete) ahigh, aloft
    • 1796–1798 (date written; published 1802), Robert Southey, “The Inchcape Rock”, in The Poetical Works of Robert Southey. [], volume VI, London: [] [Andrew Spottiswoode] for Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans, [], published 1838, →OCLC, page 137:
      So thick a haze o’erspreads the sky, / They cannot see the Sun on high; / The wind hath blown a gale all day, / At evening it hath died away.
    • c. 1920s–1930s, Elizabeth Fleming, “The Ploughman”, in School Journal, volume 32, Wellington, New Zealand: School Publications Branch, Department of Education, published 1938, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 112:
      His [a horse's] back would be so glossy, / His sides so smooth and brown, / I'd have to hold his collar / To keep from slipping down! / And jogging on the roadway, / The people passing by / Would turn to smile at Bonny / With me set up on high.
  2. (specifically, chiefly Christianity, literary) Up in, or to, Heaven.
  3. (humorous) In authority, influence, or power.
    According to those on high, taxes need to increase again.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “on (an) heigh” under “heigh, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Further reading

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