nounplural noun Us, plural noun U's
(also u)
1The twenty-first letter of the alphabet.
not in service, unavailable for use, not in use, out of action, unserviceable- 1.1Denoting the next after T in a set of items, categories, etc.
2UA shape like that of a capital U, especially a cross section.
- ‘U-shaped glaciated valleys’
Pronunciation
abbreviation
(also u)
informal You.
- ‘what will u do next?’
Pronunciation
The chemical element uranium.
Pronunciation
adjective
informal British(of language or social behavior) characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes.
- ‘U manners’
upper-class, aristocratic, upmarket, Home Counties
Pronunciation
Origin
1950s abbreviation of upper class; coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, the term was popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).
noun
A Burmese title of respect before a man's name, equivalent to Mr.
- ‘U Thien San’
Pronunciation
abbreviation
PhysicsDenoting quantum states or wave functions which change sign on inversion through the origin.
The opposite of gOrigin
From German ungerade ‘odd’.
in combination
(in units of measurement) micro- (10⁶)
- ‘direct readout of concentration in ug or mg/l’
Origin
Substituted for mu.
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