above

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

• adv. On high; overhead: the clouds above.
• adv. In heaven; heavenward.
• adv. Upstairs: a table in the dining room above.
• adv. To a degree that is over zero: 15° above.
• adv. In or to a higher place.
• adv. In an earlier part of a given text: "The problems cited above have led to a number of suggestions for reform” ( Wharton Magazine).
• adv. In or to a higher rank or position: the ranks of major and above.
• prep. Over or higher than: a cool spring above the timberline.
• prep. Superior to in rank, position, or number; greater than: put principles above expediency.
• prep. Beyond the level or reach of: a shot that was heard above the music.
• prep. In preference to.
• prep. Too honorable to bend to: I am above petty intrigue.
• prep. More than: somewhat above normal temperature.
• prep. Upstream of: a dam positioned ten miles above the town.
• prep. North of: Minnesota is above Iowa.
• n. An earlier part of a given text: Refer to the above for that information.
• n. The person or persons already referred to in a text: The above hereby affix their signatures.
• adj. Appearing earlier in the same text: flaws in the above interpretation.
• idiom above all Over and above all other factors or considerations: Above all, tell the truth.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

• prep. In preference to.
• prep. Too proud to stoop; averse to; disinclined; too honorable to give.
• prep. Upstage.
• prep. Beyond; on the other side.
• adv. On the upper half or the dorsal surface of an animal.
• n. Something, especially a person name in legal documents, that appears higher on the same page or on a preceding page.
• n. Higher authority.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• adv. In a higher place; overhead; into or from heaven.
• adv. Earlier in order; higher in the same page; hence, in a foregoing page.
• adv. Higher in rank or power.
• adv. More than.
• prep. In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface; over; -- opposed to below or beneath.
• prep. Figuratively, higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; beyond; higher in measure or degree than
• prep. Surpassing in number or quantity; more than. (Passing into the adverbial sense. See Above, adv., 4.)

from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

• In or to a higher place; overhead; often, in a special sense: In or to the celestial regions; in heaven.
• Upstairs.
• On the upper side (opposed to beneath); toward the top (opposed to below): as, leaves green above, glaucous beneath; stems smooth above, hairy below.
• Higher in rank or power: as, the courts above.
• Before in rank or order, especially in a book or writing: as, from what has been said above.
• Besides: in the expression over and above.
• Above is often used elliptically as a noun, meaning: Heaven: as, “Every good gift … is from above,” Jas. i. 17. Preceding statement, remarks, or the like: as, from the above you will learn my object. It has the force of an adjective in such phrases as the above particulars, in which cited or mentioned is understood.
• In or to a higher place than.
• Superior to in any respect: often in the sense of too high for, as too high in dignity or fancied importance; too elevated in character: as, this man is above his business, above mean actions.
• More in quantity or number than: as, the weight is above a ton.
• More in degree than; in a greater degree than; beyond; in excess of.
• Synonyms Over, Above. See over.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• adv. at an earlier place
• adv. in or to a place that is higher
• n. an earlier section of a written text
• adj. appearing earlier in the same text