English

on high

/ɒn ˈhaɪ/
To a high position; or up in, or to, the sky; above.

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    Origin

    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”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*kewk- “to bend; crooked”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishon heigh
      • inheritedOld Englishon hēagum “on high”
    • surface analysisEnglishon “In the state of being active, functioning or operating.”
    • surface analysisEnglishhigh “Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty.”

    Related: Dutch omhoog, West Frisian omheech

    Sources