Upstarten

Part of speech: noun, verb, adjective

Definitions

1. To elevate a person abruptly into a higher social or professional position than they were born to or have earned
2. Making someone rise quickly from humble origins to a status that others consider presumptuous or undeserved
3. Lifting an individual suddenly out of obscurity into a position of importance that seems to exceed their rightful place

Etymology: "Upstart" is a compound of "up" and "start," where "start" means to jump or spring suddenly. The noun's sense of someone who rises abruptly and then behaves above their station grows from that picture of a sudden upward leap. The verb "upstarten" takes the noun and adds the suffix "-en," the same ending found in "soften" and "lengthen," which turns a word into a verb meaning to make or become something. To upstarten someone is to lift them quickly from obscurity into a position that seems more than they deserve. The verb is far less common than the noun.