upholstery [M17th] In Middle English an upholder was a maker, repairer or dealer in second-hand clothes, furniture, and small items, a name formed from to uphold [OE], in the sense of ‘to sustain, keep in good repair’. By the Late Middle English this occupation is found in the form of upholster, and upholsterer by the early 17th century. Such a person would need to be able to re-cover furniture, and upholstery developed in the mid 17th century to describe this work. The verb to upholster [M19th] was a back-formation from the earlier words.