ur-

¹

1. variant of uro-.

   uranalysis.

ur-

²

1. variant of uro- before a vowel.

   urite.

ur-

³

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. a combining form meaning “earliest, original,” used in words denoting the primal stage of a historical or cultural entity or phenomenon.

   ur-civilization; urtext.

Ur

⁴

[ur, oor]

noun

1. an ancient Sumerian city on the Euphrates, in S Iraq: extensive excavations, especially of royal tombs.

UR

¹

abbreviation

1. you are

2. your

Ur

²

/ ɜː /

noun

1. an ancient city of Sumer located on a former channel of the Euphrates

Ur-

³

combining form

1. original, primitive

   Ursprache

ur-

⁴

combining form

1. a variant of uro- 1 uro- 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of ur-¹

< German ur-, Middle High German, Old High German; cognate with Old English or-

Word History and Origins

Origin of ur-¹

German

When To Use

What does ur- mean?

Ur- is a combining form used like a prefix that has two unrelated senses.The first is “urine.” It is used occasionally in medical terms, especially in pathology. In some rare instances, like urate, ur- specifically denotes uric acid, a compound found in urine. This ur- comes from Greek oûron, meaning “urine.” Other combining forms that mean "urine," such as urino- and urin-, come from the Latin for "urine," ūrīn(a).The second is “earliest” or “original.” It is frequently used or appendaged to a wide variety of terms. In some instances, it is stylized with a hyphen after the form, as in ur-fascism. Because the German language capitalizes nouns, the combining form ur- sometimes appears as Ur-, as in Urheimat. This ur- comes from Old High German ur-, meaning “thoroughly.”Despite popular misconception, the name Uranus, a planet named for a Roman god, does not use the combining form ur- to mean "urine” or “earliest.” Discover more about the origins of this name at our entry for Uranus. The chemical compound uranium is also named after this figure from Greco-Roman mythology.What are variants of ur-?The “urine” sense of ur- are variants of uro-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use uro- article.Note that uro- can also mean “tail.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in anatomy and zoology. This uro- ultimately comes from Greek ourá, meaning “tail.”