U

¹

or u

[ yoo ]

noun

, plural U's or Us, u's or us.

1. the 21st letter of the English alphabet, a vowel.
2. any spoken sound represented by the letter U or u, as in music, rule, curious, put, or jug.
3. something having the shape of a U .
4. a written or printed representation of the letter U or u.
5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter U or u.

u.

²

abbreviation for

1. and.

U.

³

abbreviation for

1. and.

U

⁴

[ yoo ]

pronoun

, Informal.

1. you:

   Shoes Fixed While U Wait.

u.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. uniform.
2. unit.
3. unsatisfactory.
4. upper.

U.

⁶

abbreviation for

1. uncle.
2. uniform.
3. union.
4. unit.
5. united.
6. university.
7. unsatisfactory.
8. upper.

U

⁷

[ yoo ]

adjective

, Informal.

1. characteristic of or appropriate to the upper class, especially of Great Britain.

U

⁸

[ oo ]

noun

1. a Burmese title of respect applicable to a man: used before the proper name.

U

⁹

Symbol.

1. (on a packaged product) certified as kosher by the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations.
2. the 21st in order or in a series.
3. Chemistry. uranium.
4. Biochemistry. uracil.
5. Thermodynamics. internal energy.
6. British. a designation for motion pictures determined as being acceptable for viewing by all age groups. Compare A ³( def 10 ), AA ²( def 5 ), X ³( def 9 ).

u

¹

/ juː /

noun

1. the 21st letter and fifth vowel of the modern English alphabet
2. any of several speech sounds represented by this letter, in English as in mute, cut, hurt, sure, pull, or minus
3. 1. something shaped like a U
   2. ( in combination )

      a U-bolt

      a U-turn

U

²

/ uː /

noun

1. a Burmese title of respect for men, equivalent to Mr

U

³

symbol for

1. united
2. unionist
3. university
4. in Britain
   1. universal (used to describe a category of film certified as suitable for viewing by anyone)
   2. ( as modifier )

      a U film

5. chem uranium
6. biochem uracil

abbreviation for

1. text messaging you

adjective

1. old-fashioned.
   (esp of language habits) characteristic of or appropriate to the upper class Compare non-U

U.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. maths union
2. unit
3. united
4. university
5. upper

Word History and Origins

Origin of U¹

From the German word und

Origin of U²

From the German word und

Origin of U³

First recorded in 1840–45

Origin of U⁴

First recorded in 1950–55; u(pper class)

Origin of U⁵

First recorded in 1930–35; from Burmese ʔú, roughly “Mister, Uncle,” used for senior men and monks

Example Sentences

Director Yoo Dong-hun and screenwriter Lee Jung-u were arrested for firebombing theaters.

From The Daily Beast

Following this supposed U-turn on his political beliefs, Darakhshan went back to Iran in October 2008.

From The Daily Beast

But for adolescent inmates, says U. S. Attorney Preet Bharara, “Rikers Island is broken.”

From The Daily Beast

The video also included a clip of the British prime minister describing the U. S. as allies.

From The Daily Beast

She was naked in Money Train and U-Turn, the Oliver Stone movie.

From The Daily Beast

U was an Usurer, a miserable elf; V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.

From Project Gutenberg

The channels between t and u, and between v and w, appeared to be clear and deep.

From Project Gutenberg

(ii) The provision to the maximum extent possible of non-restricted or "U" programmes for children's sessions.

From Project Gutenberg

"I didn't suppose there were such bea-u-tiful dresses in the world," sighed Elsie, looking about her.

From Project Gutenberg

Whler's and Bauschinger's experiments give values of t, u, and s, for some materials.

From Project Gutenberg