u-

Prefix

u-

you singular (used for conjugating verbs to the subjective or nominative case of the personal pronoun)

Kambera

Pronoun

u-

Alternative form of mu-

Northern Ndebele

Etymology 1

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

you, thou; second-person singular subject concord.

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

Prefix

u- (medial ka-)

he, she, it; class 1 subject concord.

Etymology 4

Norwegian Bokmål terms prefixed with u-

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

he, she, it; class 3 subject concord.

Etymology 5

Prefix

u-

Class 11 noun prefix; form of ulu- used before stems of more than one syllable.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse ú-, ó-, from Proto-Germanic *un-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-, a prefix use of the particle *né (“not”). Doublet of a-.

Prefix

u-

un-, (in certain cases) im-
an abbreviation of certain words beginning with "u"

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
used to strengthen/intensify the following noun
tal → utal
number → huge number
an abbreviation of certain words beginning with "u"

Derived terms

Norwegian Nynorsk terms prefixed with u-

uro

References

“u-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *u-

Old Polish u-

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *u-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /u/
IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /u/

Prefix

u-

perfective prefix
‎u- + ‎wiązać → ‎uwiązać

Derived terms

Old Polish terms prefixed with u-

Phuthi

Etymology 1

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

you, thou; second-person singular subject concord.

Etymology 2

Prefix

u- (medial ka-)

he, she, it; class 1 subject concord.

Etymology 3

Polish terms prefixed with u-

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

he, she, it; class 3 subject concord.

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *u-

Old Polish u-

Polish u-

Inherited from Old Polish u-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /u/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -u
Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually]
Homophones: ó, u, -u, -u-

Prefix

u-

appears in front of some verbs meaning: to make something behave in a certain way, en-, be-, make
Synonym: o-

‎u- + ‎łatwy → ‎ułatwiać
perfective prefix
‎u- + ‎bóść → ‎ubóść
added to mean "a bit"
‎u- + ‎lać → ‎ulać
added to mean away
‎u- + ‎iść → ‎ujść
(rare) added to mean successfully, often without an imperfective counterpart
‎u- + ‎ciągnąć → ‎uciągnąć

‎u- + ‎rzucić → ‎urzucić

Derived terms

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *u-. Prefixed form of the preposition u.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /u-/

Prefix

u-

Forms perfective verbs with the following meanings:
1. (no change in meaning)
  ‎u- + ‎branīti (“to defend”) → ‎ubranīti (“to defend”)
2. away
  ‎u- + ‎téči (“to run”) → ‎utéči (“to run away, escape”)
3. (reflexive) to make a mistake while
  ‎u- + ‎štẹ́ti (“to count”) → ‎uštẹ́ti (“to miscount”)

Derived terms

Slovene terms prefixed with u-

ujeti

uspeti

ukor

Southern Ndebele

Etymology 1

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

you, thou; second-person singular subject concord.

Etymology 2

Prefix

u- (medial ka-)

he, she, it; class 1 subject concord.

Etymology 3

Swahili terms prefixed with u-

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

he, she, it; class 3 subject concord.

Swahili

Other scripts
Ajami	اُـ

Alternative forms

w- (before a vowel)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *dʊ̀- and Proto-Bantu *bʊ̀-.

Prefix

u- (plural n- or ma-)

u class_(XI) noun prefix, denoting natural objects, extensions, abstract qualities, or collections of small things.
ulimi mrefu ― a long tongue
1. -ness, -ity
  ‎u- + ‎-chafu (“dirty”) → ‎uchafu (“dirtiness”)
  
  ‎u- + ‎mtoto (“child”) → ‎utoto (“childhood”)
  
  ‎u- + ‎binafsi (“self”) → ‎ubinafsi (“individualism”)
2. forms names of countries
  ‎u- + ‎French France (“France”) → ‎Ufaransa (“France”)

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

Etymology 2

Prefix

u-

you, 2nd person singular subject concord
Antonym: hu-

Etymology 3

From Proto-Bantu *gʊ́- and Proto-Bantu *dʊ́-.

Prefix

u-

it, m class_(III)/u class_(XI) subject concord
Antonym: hau-
- 18th century, Abdallah bin Ali bin Nasir, Al-Inkishafi‎^[2], stanza 13:
  هُنُ اُلِمِغُ بَحَرِ تِيْسِ ، اُنَ مَتُبَوِ نَمَغِ مَاسِ،
  Hunu ulimwengu baḥari tesi, una matumbawe na-mangi masi,
  This world is a troubled sea, it has corals and much wickedness;
verb-initial form of -u- (“it, m class_(III)/u class_(XI) object concord”)

Swazi

Etymology 1

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

you, thou; second-person singular subject concord.

Etymology 2

Prefix

u- (medial ka-)

he, she, it; class 1 subject concord.

Etymology 3

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

he, she, it; class 3 subject concord.

Taos

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʔu/

Prefix

u-

(transitive) Third person singular subject + third person duoplural object.

Tlingit

Prefix

u-

Marks the irrealis mood

Xhosa

Etymology 1

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

you, thou; second-person singular subject concord.

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

Prefix

u- (medial ka-)

he, she, it; class 1 subject concord.

Etymology 4

Yoruba terms prefixed with u- (nominalizing prefix)

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

he, she, it; class 3 subject concord.

Etymology 5

Prefix

u-

Class 11 noun prefix; form of ulu- used before stems of more than one syllable.

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

Ye'kwana personal markers

	pronoun	noun possessor/ series II verb argument		postposition object		series I verb argument
	pronoun	noun possessor/ series II verb argument		postposition object		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-/ödh-, o-, oy-/odh-, a-, ay-/adh-							m-, mi-
first person dual exclusive	nña	y-/dh-, ch-, ∅-, i-¹			chö-	∅-	n-, ni-
third person	tüwü	y-/dh-, ch-, ∅-, i-¹			chö-	n-, ni-	n-, ni-
distant past third person	tüwü	—				kün-, kun-, kin-, ken-, küm-, kum-, kim-, kini-
coreferential/reflexive	—	t-, tü-, tu-, ti-, te-				—
reciprocal	—	—	öö-
With following vowel lengthened if in an unreduced open syllable.

	series I verb argument: transitive agent and transitive patient
first person > second person	mön-, man-, mon-, möm-, möni-
first person dual exclusive > second person	mön-, man-, mon-, möm-, möni-
second person > first person	k-, kü-, ku-, ki-
second person > first person dual exclusive	k-, kü-, ku-, ki-
third person > any person X …or… any person X > third person	see person X in the chart above

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

ì-

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ù/

Prefix

ù-

(CY, SEY) abstract or instrument nominalizing prefix

Usage notes

Forms both abstract and concrete nouns:

ù + gwẹ̀ "to swim" → ùgwẹ̀ "swimming"
ù + gbálẹ̀ "to sweep floor" → ùgbálẹ̀ "broom"

Derived terms

uko

upe

uwe

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

i-

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ū/

Prefix

u-

(CY, SEY) non-gerundive nominalizing prefix
‎u- + ‎kú (“to die”) → ‎ukú (“death”)

Derived terms

Yoruba terms prefixed with u-

uku

ulu

uta

uwọ

Zulu

Etymology 1

Prefix

u- (medial wu-)

you, thou; second-person singular subject concord.

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

Prefix

ú- (medial ká-)

he, she, it; class 1 subject concord.

Etymology 4