on high

English dictionary entry

Meanings

prep_phrase
  1. To a high position; or up in, or to, the sky; above.
  2. Up in, or to, Heaven.
  3. In authority, influence, or power.

Pronunciation

/ɒn ˈhaɪ/ /ɑn ˈhaɪ/ En-au-on high.ogg

Word forms

on high

Etymology

From Middle English on heigh, on an heigh (“in or into heaven; up to heaven”) [and other forms], 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”).

Synonyms

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.