get-up

The compound noun 'get-up' is a deverbal formation from the phrasal verb 'to get up', which originally meant 'to rise from bed' or 'to prepare oneself'. By the early 19th century, this sense of preparation evolved specifically to refer to the act of putting on clothes or arranging one's appearance. The literal action of 'getting (oneself) up' into a dressed state became lexicalized as a noun describing the resultant outfit itself, often with a connotation of it being a deliberate or conspicuous ensemble. This transition from a verbal phrase to a concrete noun exemplifies how English creates new vocabulary by nominalizing common actions.

Structure: get (to acquire) + up (into a state or position) get: From Old Norse 'geta' (to obtain, to beget), with Proto-Germanic origins. Functions as a verb root meaning to acquire or cause to be. up: From Old English 'up', 'upp', of Germanic origin. Functions as an adverbial particle indicating a state of completion, readiness, or being arranged.