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

   unisexual

   unilateral

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

The white uni features a wide, royal blue stripe down the side of the jersey.

From The Daily Beast

Wearing dashikis, yukatas, and flannel robes—any kind of billowing uni-garment will do the trick.

From The Daily Beast

Just this weekend, Tea Party Express held a “Uni-tea” event in Philadelphia, designed to convey an image of racial inclusion.

From The Daily Beast

Undoubtedly it would be so, if Theodotus were excommunicated precisely for his belief in the uni-personality of God.

From Project Gutenberg

Herbæ ramosæ, foliis angustis integris aut pinnatifidis, ramis uni-plurifloris.

From Project Gutenberg

Pompeium, sed non esse uni omnia tribuenda, adiecissetque: Si quid huic acciderit, quem in eius locum substituetis?

From Project Gutenberg

Uni suppliciter sepulturam precanti respondisse dicitur iam istam in volucrum fore potestate.

From Project Gutenberg

Uni gladly consented to this proposal, and confined his attentions to sending his pages with daily greetings and gifts.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use Uni-

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.

Examples of uni-

One popular word that features uni- is unicorn, “a mythical creature resembling a horse, with a single horn in the center of its forehead.” The word comes from the Latin ūnicornis, which uses the equivalent form uni- in the language.

If uni- means “one,” what does the -corn portion of the word signify? The element -corn refers to “horn,” from the Latin cōrnu. Unicorn literally translates to “(having) one horn.”

What are some words that use the combining form uni-?

• unialgal
• uniaxial
• unibrow
• unicycle
• unicuspid
• unicameral
• unicellular
• unidimensional
• unidirectional
• unifacial
• unifilar
• uniflorous
• unifoliate
• uniglandular
• unilinear
• unilingual
• unilocular
• unimodal
• uniplanar
• unipolar
• unipotent
• unisex
• unispiral
• uniseptate
• univariate

The following words use the equivalent forms of uni- in Latin:

• uniform
• unijugate
• uniparous
• universe
• university

What are some other forms that uni- may be commonly confused with?

• in-
• omni-
• un-

Not every word that begins with the letters uni- is necessarily using the combining form uni- to mean “one.” These words, such as unidentified, are instead using the form un-, “not,” in combination with a second form beginning with the letter i. Learn more about the word unidentified at our entry.

Break it down!

The word cycle, from Greek kýklos, has a variety of meanings, including “wheel.” With this in mind, what does unicycle mean?