At a higher level or position than something else; or earlier in the same text.
From Old English *abūfan* meaning “over, on top of,” from *on-* “on” and *bufan* “over, above.” It’s related to words for being physically higher or overhead.
We still use the physical meaning—‘the picture above the couch’—but also abstract ones like ‘above average’ or ‘above suspicion.’ The word quietly suggests both height and status, showing how we imagine power as being ‘up.’
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