uni
noun
a uniformed police officer; uniform.
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uni
1 American
[yoo-nee]
/ ˈyu ni /
noun
Informal.
-
a uniformed police officer; uniform.
A uni phoned in the burglary at 2:19 this morning.
-
British and Australian. university.
Tony and Marc are both off to uni in two weeks.
uni-
2
American
uni-
1
British
combining form
uni
2
British
/ ˈjuːnɪ /
noun
Usage
What does uni- mean? Uni- is a combining form used like a prefix, meaning “one.” Uni- appears in a wide variety of everyday and technical terms alike. Uni- comes from the Latin ūnus, meaning “one.” The Greek counterpart of uni- is mono-, as in monologue. Learn more at our Words That Use article on the form.
Etymology
Origin of uni1
First recorded in 1895–1900; by shortening
Origin of uni-2
< Latin ūni- combining form of ūnus one; see -i-
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yama Seafood Uni – The first time I tried uni — sea urchin — was at Shiro’s in Seattle.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025
Soon after the new policy went into effect, Paul Duke, Uni High’s dean of students, said that a teacher pulled him aside to tell him, incredulously, that students were actually paying attention to his lessons.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2025
Cambridge Uni bids to boost waste recycling to 80%
From BBC • Aug. 9, 2023
Nearly four months later, Uni has done just that.
From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2023
“What do you mean, useless? It wouldn’t be a unicorn without a horn. That’s what the word means! Uni, for one. And then corn for, you know, horn. One-horned.”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
