n.
Pronunciation: ' ə -p ə r
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, comparative of 2 up
Date: 14th century
1 a : higher in physical position, rank, or order <the upper lip> < upper management> b : farther inland <the upper Mississippi>
2 : constituting the branch of a bicameral legislature that is usually smaller and more restricted in membership and possesses greater traditional prestige than the lower house
3 a : constituting a stratum relatively near the earth's surface b capitalized : being a later epoch or series of the period or system named < Upper Cretaceous> < Upper Paleolithic>
4 : NORTHERN < upper Manhattan>