ur-

¹

1. variant of uro-.

   uranalysis.

ur-

²

1. variant of uro- before a vowel.

   urite.

ur-

³

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. a combining form meaning “earliest, original,” used in words denoting the primal stage of a historical or cultural entity or phenomenon.

   ur-civilization; urtext.

Ur

⁴

[ur, oor]

noun

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

UR

¹

abbreviation

1. you are

2. your

Ur

²

/ ɜː /

noun

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

Ur-

³

combining form

1. original, primitive

   Ursprache

ur-

⁴

combining form

1. a variant of uro- 1 uro- 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of UR¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of UR¹

German

Example Sentences

Rose only released her first single, the self-written and self-produced Say Ur Mine, two years ago.

From BBC

She held a sign that read, “Ur racism won’t end our strength.”

From Los Angeles Times

"Religious politics over the past few years have chipped away at her legacy and she isn't spoken about as much any more," says journalist Shams Ur Rehman Alavi, who has been researching Bhopal's women rulers.

From BBC

First single Kiss Ur Face Forever is a grunge-pop anthem to physical infatuation, while the follow-up Little Chaos is a frantic reflection of an unsettled mind.

From BBC

The “Get Ur Freak On” singer wowed fans again with dancers in glow-in-the-dark costumes, projections of spaceships and an animation of Elliott dressed as an astronaut and grinning as she glides through the cosmos.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does ur- mean?

Ur- is a combining form used like a prefix that has two unrelated senses.The first is “urine.” It is used occasionally in medical terms, especially in pathology. In some rare instances, like urate, ur- specifically denotes uric acid, a compound found in urine. This ur- comes from Greek oûron, meaning “urine.” Other combining forms that mean "urine," such as urino- and urin-, come from the Latin for "urine," ūrīn(a).The second is “earliest” or “original.” It is frequently used or appendaged to a wide variety of terms. In some instances, it is stylized with a hyphen after the form, as in ur-fascism. Because the German language capitalizes nouns, the combining form ur- sometimes appears as Ur-, as in Urheimat. This ur- comes from Old High German ur-, meaning “thoroughly.”Despite popular misconception, the name Uranus, a planet named for a Roman god, does not use the combining form ur- to mean "urine” or “earliest.” Discover more about the origins of this name at our entry for Uranus. The chemical compound uranium is also named after this figure from Greco-Roman mythology.What are variants of ur-?The “urine” sense of ur- are variants of uro-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use uro- article.Note that uro- can also mean “tail.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in anatomy and zoology. This uro- ultimately comes from Greek ourá, meaning “tail.”