Uprear

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ʌpˈɹɪə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. To cause something to stand up or be raised to a vertical position ; to rise or stand upright, often suddenly or forcefully
2. To lift or set upright something that was flat or lower ; to move into an upright or elevated posture
3. To elevate or build up into a standing position ; to assume an upright stance or position, typically with force or effort

Etymology: "Uprear" is a plain compound: the prefix "up-" joined to "rear," the older English verb meaning to raise or lift up. "Rear" itself goes back to Old English "rǣran," meaning to cause to rise, and it is the same word that gives us "rear" in the sense of raising children or animals. Adding "up-" simply intensified the idea of lifting something skyward. The word came into English in Middle English as "upreren," and it has always stayed close to its literal sense of hoisting something into a standing or erect position. The verb's force comes from its pairing of two words that both mean raising, so the emphasis of effort and upward motion is built into its structure rather than added by later usage.

Synonyms: raise, lift, hoist

Antonyms: lower, drop