Origin and history of upheaval

Middle English heven, from Old English hebban "to lift, raise; lift up, exalt" (class VI strong verb; past tense hof, past participle hafen), from Proto-Germanic *hafjan (source also of Old Norse hefja, Dutch heffen, German heben, Gothic hafjan "to lift, raise"), from PIE *kap-yo-, from root *kap- "to grasp." The sense evolution would be "take, take hold of," thence "lift." Related to have (Old English habban "to hold, possess").

The meaning "to throw" is from 1590s. The nautical meaning "haul or pull" in any direction is by 1620s. Intransitive use is attested from early 14c. as "be raised or forced up;" 1610s as "rise and fall with alternate motion."

The sense of "retch, make an effort to vomit" is attested from c. 1600. Related: Heaved; heaving. Nautical heave-ho was a chant in lifting (c. 1300, hevelow; compare ho (interj.)).

"to or toward a point or place higher than another," Old English up, uppe, from Proto-Germanic *upp- "up," from PIE root *upo "under," also "up from under," hence also "over." As a preposition, from late Old English as "down onto, above and touching, sitting on, at the summit of;" from c. 1200 as "to a higher place."

Often used elliptically for go up, come up, rise up, etc. To be up to (something) "engaged in some activity" (typically reprehensible) is by 1837. Slang up the river "in jail" is recorded by 1891, originally in reference to Sing Sing, which is up the Hudson from New York City. To drive someone up the wall (1951) is from the notion of the behavior of lunatics or caged animals. Insulting retort up yours (scil. ass (n.2)) is attested by late 19c.

From the same Proto-Germanic source are Old Frisian, Old Saxon up "up, upward," Old Norse upp; Danish, Dutch op; Old High German uf, German auf "up;" Gothic iup "up, upward," uf "on, upon, under;" Old High German oba, German ob "over, above, on, upon."

suffix forming nouns of action from verbs, mostly from Latin and French, meaning "act of ______ing" (such as survival, referral), Middle English -aille, from French feminine singular -aille, from Latin -alia, neuter plural of adjective suffix -alis, also used in English as a noun suffix. Nativized in English and used with Germanic verbs (as in bestowal, betrothal).