paid-up
UK[ˌpeɪd ˈʌp]US[ˌpeɪd ˈʌp]
adj
(of a member or shareholder) having paid the full amount owed for shares, fees, or subscriptions.
adj
(of a person) fully committed or established in a particular role or status.
Morpheme Breakdown
paid
up
paid
past participle of pay
up
completive particle
Etymology
the compound adjective 'paid-up' originates from the commercial and financial language of the 19th century. it combines the past participle 'paid', with its roots in the latin idea of satisfying a debt to achieve peace ('pacare'), and the completive particle 'up', which in english often signifies the finality or fullness of an action. literally, it describes a state where all required payments have been completed 'up' to the full amount. this concrete financial sense logically extended to describe a person who is fully committed, as if having met all necessary conditions for membership in a cause or role.
Analysis
Structure: paid (past participle of pay) + up (completive particle)
paid: from middle english 'payed', past participle of 'payen', meaning to appease or satisfy a debt. origin: old french 'paier', from latin 'pacare' (to pacify, satisfy), from 'pax' (peace).
up: from old english 'up', 'upp', an adverb and preposition denoting upward motion or completion. origin: proto-germanic 'upp', related to the concept of being at a high point or finished.
Examples
she is a paid-up member of the professional association.
the company issued certificates to its paid-up shareholders.
after years of activism, he was considered a paid-up environmentalist.