uni

¹

[yoo-nee]

noun

Informal.

1. a uniformed police officer; uniform.

   A uni phoned in the burglary at 2:19 this morning.

2. British and Australian.,  university.

   Tony and Marc are both off to uni in two weeks.

uni-

²

1. a combining form occurring in loanwords from Latin (universe ), used, with the meaning “one,” in the formation of compound words (unicycle ).

uni-

¹

combining form

1. consisting of, relating to, or having only one

   unilateral

   unisexual

uni

²

/ ˈjuːnɪ /

noun

1. informal,  short for university

Word History and Origins

Origin of uni¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; by shortening

Origin of uni²

< Latin ūni- combining form of ūnus one; -i-

Word History and Origins

Origin of uni¹

from Latin ūnus one

Example Sentences

Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, he said the party's old ambition to "get 50% of kids to uni" - a target set by Tony Blair in 1999 - was no longer "right for our times".

From BBC

The singer - full name Sigrid Solbakk Raabe - enrolled on a politics course at uni but dropped out after three weeks to pursue her music career.

From BBC

"I just want to go to uni so I can get my degree, and have a more successful career," he says.

From BBC

And I have an older brother who's also staying at home while doing a uni degree.

From BBC

Her friend Morgan Lees, 18, from Merthyr Tydfil, added: "Staying at home while being at uni takes away some of the social aspects of it, and that was really important for me."

From BBC

When To Use

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.