u

Letter (1)

1. (letter, lowercase) The twenty-first letter of the English alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.
   • I prefer the u in Arial to the one in Times New Roman.

Noun (1)

u (plural ues)

1. The name of the Latin script letter U/u.
2. A thing in the shape of the letter U.

Letter (2) capitalized: U

IPA/juː/Wales/jɪʊ̯/

1. (letter, uppercase) The twenty-first letter of the English alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.
2. (letter, uppercase) A U-turn ('turned a U in the road')
3. (letter, uppercase) A double upright cordon espalier (also double U, triple U).

Noun (2) capitalized: U

IPA/juː/Wales/jɪʊ̯/

U

1. A U-turn.
   • Do a U across the divider and get on back here to the office.2003, Tony Hillerman, The Sinister Pig, →ISBN, page 115
2. (abbreviation) Abbreviation of university.
3. (abbreviation) Abbreviation of Sunday.
4. (UK) A film with the film classification U (“universal”).

Adjective capitalized: U

IPA/juː/Wales/jɪʊ̯/

U (not generally comparable, comparative Uer, superlative Uest)

1. (UK, abbreviation, comparable, dated, not comparable, usually) Abbreviation of upper class (“characteristic of the upper classes, particularly in the use of language”).
   • I may also note here that the U-demarcation is of two types: – (1) a certain U-feature has a different, non-U counterpart as non-U wealthy / U rich; (2) a certain feature is confined to U-speech and it has a counterpart which is not confined to non-U speech e.g. the pronunciations of girl as [ɡɛl]...1954, Alan S[trode] C[ampbell] Ross, “Linguistic Class-indicators in Present-day English”, in Neuphilologische Mitteilungen [Modern Language Communications], volume 55, number 1, Helsinki: Modern...
   • To TAKE a bath is non-U against U to HAVE one’s bath.[1956], Alan S. C. Ross, “U and non-U”, in David Milsted, Brewer’s Anthology of England and the English, page 120

   Antonyms:

   non-U

2. (abbreviation, not comparable, usually) Abbreviation of united.
3. (abbreviation, not comparable, usually) Abbreviation of upper.
4. (not comparable, usually) Usually in parentheses: abbreviation of unclassified.
5. (UK, abbreviation, not comparable, usually) Abbreviation of universal (“suitable for all ages”), in a film certificate.

Preposition capitalized: U

IPA/juː/Wales/jɪʊ̯/

U

1. (abbreviation) Abbreviation of under.
   • In 1992 Susan Lockhart was Captain of the England U16 Hockey Squad.2013, Pam Mansell, The Girls of Southend High School 1913-2013: A Century for Women
2. (abbreviation) Abbreviation of up.

Proper noun (1) capitalized: U

IPA/juː/Wales/jɪʊ̯/

U

1. An Austroasiatic language spoken in China.

   Synonyms:

   P'uman

Proper noun (2) capitalized: U

IPA/juː/Wales/jɪʊ̯/

U

1. (alternative) Alternative form of Ü (“Tibetan language”).
   • Among the settled communities of Central Tibet, the Tsang dialect as spoken in Shigatse and the U dialect as spoken in Lhasa hold the field.1924, William Montgomery McGovern, To Lhasa in Disguise: A Secret Expedition Through Mysterious Tibet

Noun (3) capitalized: U

IPA/juː/Wales/jɪʊ̯/

U (plural Us)

1. An honorific to a Burmese man
   • U Thant; U Nu