above stairs en · ADP
Pronunciation
- /əˌbʌv ˈstɝs/ (General-American)
Meanings
-
(archaic) Upstairs; in or on an upper floor.
She took him to a room above-stairs, and introduced him to a bed on which a magnified bolster, in yellow calico, figured as a counterpane.
1877 February, Henry James, Jr., chapter XIX, in The American, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, […], published 5 May 1877, →OCLC, page 334:He was found above-stairs in an empty room, searching the floor for something.
1901, M. P. Shiel, The Lord of the Sea:The Phyſician now arrived, and began to enquire of the two Diſputants, how we all did above Stairs? 'In a miſerable Way,' anſwered Thwackum.
1749, Henry Fielding, “Containing Matter Rather Natural than Pleasing”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume II, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, page 183:
- (UK, historical) In or pertaining to the part of a large house, typically the above-ground rooms, in which the owning family lives, contrasted with below stairs where the servants are accommodated.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| above-stairs | alternative | lexicographic | |
| abovestairs | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (1)
nl op de verdieping hoger (on an upper floor)