u-
Translingual
Etymology
Typographical substitution for μ, in environments where the correct symbol is not available.
Basque
Chuukese
Czech
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Prefix
u-
- (away) from
- (inchoative)
- (telicity)
- added to mean a bit
- (u- + imperfective base + se) intensification: until exhaustion, expressing final stage of a process. (collocates with k smrti (“to death”))
- (on perfective verbs) unintentionally, inadvertently, by mistake
- u- + řeknout (“say once”) → uřeknout (“misspeak, say unintentionally once”)
- (root modality) [i.e., deontic + dynamic modality: ability, obligation, permission, readiness]
- to gain by activity
Derived terms
- ubalit
- ubít
- ubytovat
- udobřit
- udělat
- udusit
- uhasit
- uchopit
- ujít
- ukázat
- ukamenovat
- uklouznout
- ukolébat
- ukonejšit
- ukořistit
- ukrást
- ukrýt
- ulehčit
- ulevit
- ulomit
- ulovit
- umínit
- umřít
- unést
- uplavat
- uplést
- upozornit
- upravit
- urazit
- uronit
- useknout
- usnadnit
- usnout
- uspat
- uspořádat
- ustát
- uštědřit
- uštěpačný
- utancovat
- utlouct
- utnout
- utopit
- utrhnout
- utrpení
- utrpět
Further reading
- u-/ú- in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017
Danish
Derived terms
Kamba
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ́-.
Prefix
u-
- you singular (used for conjugating verbs to the subjective or nominative case of the personal pronoun)
Kambera
Northern Ndebele
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ̀-.
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Prefix
u-
- Class 1a noun prefix.
Etymology 3
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ́-.
Etymology 4
From Proto-Bantu *gʊ́-.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Old Norse ú-, ó-, from Proto-Germanic *un-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-, a prefix use of the particle *ne (“not”). Doublet of a-.
Derived terms
References
- “u-” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Old Norse ú- or ó-, English un-, German un-. With the intensifying function probably influenced by ov-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʉː/
Prefix
u-
- un- (not)
- flaks → uflaks
- luck → bad luck
- used to create an undesired version of the following noun
- vêr → uvêr
- weather → severe weather
- tid → utid
- time → inconvenient time
- vêr → uvêr
- used to strengthen/intensify the following noun
- tal → utal
- number → huge number
- tal → utal
- an abbreviation of certain words beginning with "u"
Derived terms
References
- “u-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old Polish
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *u-.
Derived terms
Phuthi
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ̀-.
Etymology 2
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ́-.
Etymology 3
From Proto-Bantu *gʊ́-.
Polish
Etymology
Inherited from Old Polish u-, from Proto-Slavic *u-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /u/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -u
- Syllabification: u
Prefix
u-
- appears in front of some verbs meaning: to make something behave in a certain way, en-, be-, make
- perfective prefix
- added to mean "a bit"
- added to mean away
- (rare) added to mean successfully, often without an imperfective counterpart
Derived terms
Further reading
- u- in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Slovene
Etymology
From Proto-Slavic *u-. Prefixed form of the preposition u.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /u-/
Prefix
u-
Derived terms
Southern Ndebele
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ̀-.
Etymology 2
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ́-.
Etymology 3
From Proto-Bantu *gʊ́-.
Swahili
Other scripts | |
---|---|
Ajami | اُـ |
Alternative forms
- w- (before a vowel)
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bantu *dʊ̀- and Proto-Bantu *bʊ̀-.
Prefix
- u class(XI) noun prefix, denoting natural objects, extensions, abstract qualities, or collections of small things.
- ulimi mrefu ― a long tongue
Usage notes
Swahili merged the Bantu classes XI and XIV into one u class(XI), having its adjective agreement in m class(III).
Derived terms
See also
- Appendix:Swahili noun classes
Etymology 2
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ̀-.
See also
Number | Person | Independent | Subject concord | Object concord | Combined forms | Possessive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
affirmative | negative | na | ndi- | si- | |||||
Singular | First | mimi | ni- | si- | -ni- | nami, na mimi | ndimi, ndiye | simi, siye | -angu |
Second | wewe | u- | hu- | -ku- | nawe, na wewe | ndiwe, ndiye | siwe, siye | -ako | |
Third | yeye | a-, yu- | ha-, hayu- | -m-, -mw-, -mu- | naye, na yeye | ndiye | siye | -ake | |
Plural | First | sisi | tu- | hatu- | -tu- | nasi, na sisi | ndisi, ndio | sio | -etu |
Second | ninyi | m-, mw-, mu- | ham-, hamw-, hamu- | -wa- | nanyi, na ninyi | ndinyi, ndio | sinyi, sio | -enu | |
Third | wao | wa- | hawa- | -wa- | nao | ndio | sio | -ao | |
Reflexive | — | — | -ji- | — | — | ||||
For a full table including other classes, see Appendix:Swahili personal pronouns. |
Etymology 3
From Proto-Bantu *gʊ́- and Proto-Bantu *dʊ́-.
Prefix
u-
See also
Class | Subject concord | Object concord | Relative | |
---|---|---|---|---|
affirmative | negative | |||
m(I) | a-, yu- | ha-, hayu- | -m-, -mw-, -mu- | -ye |
wa(II) | wa- | hawa- | -wa- | -o |
m(III) | u- | hau- | -u- | -o |
mi(IV) | i- | hai- | -i- | -yo |
ji(V) | li- | hali- | -li- | -lo |
ma(VI) | ya- | haya- | -ya- | -yo |
ki(VII) | ki- | haki- | -ki- | -cho |
vi(VIII) | vi- | havi- | -vi- | -vyo |
n(IX) | i- | hai- | -i- | -yo |
n(X) | zi- | hazi- | -zi- | -zo |
u(XI) | u- | hau- | -u- | -o |
ku(XV/XVII) | ku- | haku- | -ku- | -ko |
pa(XVI) | pa- | hapa- | -pa- | -po |
mu(XVIII) | m-, mw-, mu- | ham-, hamw-, hamu- | -mu- | -mo |
For a full table including first and second person, see Appendix:Swahili personal pronouns. |
Swazi
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ̀-.
Etymology 2
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ́-.
Etymology 3
From Proto-Bantu *gʊ́-.
Taos
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʔu/
Tlingit
Xhosa
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ̀-.
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Prefix
u-
- Class 1a noun prefix.
Etymology 3
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ́-.
Etymology 4
From Proto-Bantu *gʊ́-.
Ye'kwana
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [u-]
Prefix
u-
- Allomorph of y- (first-person prefix) used for stems that begin with two consonants and have a first vowel u.
Inflection
pronoun | noun possessor/ series II verb argument |
postposition object | series I verb argument | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
transitive patient | intransitive patient-like | intransitive agent-like | transitive agent | |||||||
first person | ewü | y-, ∅-, ü-, u-1 | w-, wi- | |||||||
first person dual inclusive | küwü | k-, kü-, ku-, ki- | k-, kii-, ki-1 | |||||||
second person | amödö | ö-, öy-/öd-, o-, oy-/od-, a-, ay-/ad- | m-, mi- | |||||||
first person dual exclusive | nña | y-/d-, ch-, ∅-, i-1 | chö- | ∅- | n-, ni- | |||||
third person | tüwü | n-, ni- | ||||||||
distant past third person | — | kün-, kun-, kin-, ken-, küm-, kum-, kim-, kini- | ||||||||
coreferential/reflexive | — | t-, tü-, tu-, ti-, te- | — | |||||||
reciprocal | — | — | öö- | |||||||
|
series I verb argument: transitive agent and transitive patient | |
---|---|
first person > second person | mön-, man-, mon-, möm-, möni- |
first person dual exclusive > second person | |
second person > first person | k-, kü-, ku-, ki- |
second person > first person dual exclusive | |
third person > any person X …or… any person X > third person | see person X in the chart above |
Yoruba
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ù/
Usage notes
Forms both abstract and concrete nouns:
Derived terms
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ū/
Derived terms
Zulu
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ̀-.
Etymology 2
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ́-. This noun class is marked simply with the class 1 augment and a null prefix.
Prefix
ú-
- Class 1a noun prefix.
Etymology 3
From Proto-Bantu *ʊ́-.
Etymology 4
From Proto-Bantu *gʊ́-.
Etymology 5
Contracted from earlier úlu-, from Proto-Bantu *dʊ́-dʊ̀-.
Prefix
û-
- Class 11 noun prefix.
References
- C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “u-”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “u-”