ufan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ubanē, from Proto-Germanic *upp (“up”). Cognate with Old High German obana (German oben).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈu.fɑn/, [ˈu.vɑn]

Adverb

ufan

1. above
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Passion of the Apostles Simon and Jude"

     ...mid ðǣre hē wæs ofset fram ðām hnolle ufan ōð his fōtwylmas neoðan.

     ...with which he was afflicted from the crown above to the soles of his feet below.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "Palm Sunday. On The Lord's Passion"

     Efne ðā tōbserst þæs temples wāhryft, fram ðǣre fyrste ufan ōð ðā flōr neoðan,...

     Lo then the temple's veil burst asunder, from the summit above down to the floor beneath,...

   • The Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn

     Ic ðē secge, forðon hē behelað eal þæt him be ufan bið.

     I tell thee, because it concealeth all that is above it

2. from above
   • Caedmon's metrical paraphrase

     ...And ǣrest āmet ufan tō grunde and hū sīd sē swarta ēðm sēo.

     ...and first measure from above to its ground, how wide the black vapour is.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The First Sunday in September"

     Þæt fȳr cōm ufan ðe þā scēp forbærnde, ac hit ne cōm nā of heofenum, þēah ðe hit swā ġehīwod wǣre...

     The fire came from above that burned up the sheep, but it came not from heaven, though it was so feigned...

3. down
   • The Dialogue of Adrian and Ritheus

     Ic ðē secge, for ðām ðe hēo locað ufan on helle.

     I tell thee, because it looketh down on hell.

4. upon
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     Ðā siððan hē yrre wæs and ġewundod, hē ofsloh micel þæs folces: þæt ǣġðer ġe þā forwurdon, þe him on ufan wǣran, ġe ēac þā ōðre elpendas sticade and gremede, þæt þā ēac mǣst ealle forwurdon, þe þǣr on ufan wǣron.

     Then afterwards he was angry and wounded, he slew many of the people: that both those perished, which were upon on him, and also stabbed and irritated the other elephants, that those also nearly perished, which were upon on there.

5. at the top
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     Phillippus him dyde heora wīġ unweorð, ōð hyne ān Cwēne scēat þurh þæt þēoh, þæt þæt hors wæs dēad, þe hē on ufan sæt.

     Phillippus did them their battle ignoble, until a queen shot him through the thigh, that the horse was dead, which he sat on at the top.

Derived terms

• beufan
• ufanweard
• ufane
• wiþufan

Related terms

• bufan

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “ufan”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.