Ur

[ur, oo r]

noun

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

ur-

variant of uro-¹: uranalysis.

ur-

variant of uro-² before a vowel: urite.

ur-

(sometimes initial capital letter)

a combining form meaning “earliest, original,” used in words denoting the primal stage of a historical or cultural entity or phenomenon: ur-civilization; urtext.

Origin of ur-

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ur

Contemporary Examples of ur

God is said to have summoned Abraham from Ur, now in Southern Iraq.
Saddam’s Jewish Treasures
Josh Robin
February 8, 2014
Earlier in the day he had posted a photo of himself showing off his abs with the note “Ur turn.”
Justin Bieber Freaks Out Over Grammys, Feuds With the Black Keys
Marlow Stern
February 13, 2013
As one wrote to an external trader, “Duuuude… whats up with ur guys 34.5 3m fix…tell him to get it up!!”
Barclays Settlement: The Worst of the Emails
Alex Klein
July 5, 2012
Think of it as the Ur moment that led us to a world of Baby Bjorn baby carriers and Happiest Baby on the Block DVDs.
'What to Expect When You’re Expecting': The Movie and the Book’s Heidi Murkoff
Nicole LaPorte
May 18, 2012
In pop music, “Ur So Gay,” to quote a Katy Perry song, is as big an insult as you can get.
My Music Isn’t Too Gay!
Sir Ari Gold
June 26, 2011

Historical Examples of ur

"I'll be in town a week ur two," said the old man, at parting.
The Mystery of Murray Davenport
Robert Neilson Stephens
Thot's phwat we will, ur we'll turrun th' ould mountain over!
Frank Merriwell Down South
Burt L. Standish
Ur, as we have seen, was the time-honored seat of the Moon-god.
Chaldea
Znade A. Ragozin
Bingani-sar-ali was the son of Naram-Sin, but we do not yet Ur dynasty.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1
Various
D'ye figger the parson's goin' to preach on swearin' ur gunpowder?
A Voice in the Wilderness
Grace Livingston Hill

British Dictionary definitions for ur

Ur

noun

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

UR

abbreviation for

you are
your

ur-

combining form

a variant of uro- 1, uro- 2

Ur-

combining form

original, primitiveUrsprache

Word Origin for Ur-

German

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ur

ur-

prefix meaning "original, earliest, primitive," from German; at first only in words borrowed from German (cf. ursprache "hypothetical primitive language"); since mid-20c. a living prefix in English. Cf. also Urschleim under protoplasm and Urquell under Pilsner.

ur in Medicine

ur-

pref.

Variant ofuro-