un- (1)prefix of negation, Old English un-, from Proto-Germanic *un- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German, German un-, Gothic un-, Dutch on-), from PIE *n- (source of Sanskrit a-, an- "not," Greek a-, an-, Old Irish an-, Latin in-), combining form of PIE root *ne- "not." Often euphemistic (such as untruth for "lie").
The most prolific of English prefixes, freely and widely used in Old English, where it forms more than 1,000 compounds. It underwent a mass extinction in early Middle English, but emerged with renewed vigor 16c. to form compounds with native and imported words. It disputes with Latin-derived cognate in- (1) the right to form the negation of certain words (indigestable/undigestable, etc.), and though both might be deployed in cooperation to indicate shades of meaning (unfamous/infamous), typically they are not.
It also makes words from phrases (such as uncalled-for, c. 1600; undreamed-of, 1630s; uncome-at-able, 1690s; unputdownable, 1947, of a book; un-in-one-breath-utterable, Ben Jonson; etc., but the habit is not restricted to un-; such as put-up-able-with, 1812). As a prefix in telegramese to replace not and save the cost of a word, it is attested by 1936.
un- (2)prefix of reversal, deprivation, or removal (as in unhand, undo, unbutton), Old English on-, un-, from Proto-Germanic *andi- (source also of Old Saxon ant-, Old Norse and-, Dutch ont-, Old High German ant-, German ent-, Gothic and- "against"), from PIE *anti "facing opposite, near, in front of, before, against" (from PIE root *ant- "front, forehead," with derivatives meaning "in front of, before").
More or less confused with un- (1) through similarity in the notions of "negation" and "reversal;" an adjective such as unlocked might represent "not locked" (un- (1)) or the past tense of unlock (un- (2)).uni- word-forming element meaning "having one only," from Latin uni-, combining form of unus "one" (from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique").ubi "place, location, position," 1610s, common in English c. 1640-1740, from Latin ubi "where?, in which place, in what place," relative pronominal adverb of place, ultimately from PIE *kwo-bhi- (source also of Sanskrit kuha, Old Church Slavonic kude "where"), locative case of pronominal root *kwo-. Ubi sunt, literally "where are" (1914), in reference to lamentations for the mutability of things is from a phrase used in certain Medieval Latin Christian works.ubiquity (n.)"omnipresence," 1570s, from Modern Latin ubiquitas, from Latin ubique "everywhere," from ubi "where" (see ubi) + que "any, also, and, ever," as a suffix giving universal meaning to the word it is attached to, from PIE root *kwe "and." Originally a Lutheran theological position maintaining the omnipresence of Christ.uilleann in uilleann pipe, from Irish uilleann "elbow," from Old Irish uilenn, from PIE *ol-ena-, from root *el- "elbow, forearm."ukase (n.)"decree issued by a Russian emperor," 1729, from Russian ukaz "edict," back-formation from ukazat' "to show, decree, to order," from Old Church Slavonic ukazati, from u- "away," perhaps here an intensive prefix, from PIE *au- (2) "off, away" + kazati "to show, order," from Slavic *kaz- (related to the first element of Casimir), from PIE root *kwek- "to appear, show."Ukraine from Russian or Polish Ukraina, literally "border, frontier," from u- "at" + krai "edge." So called from being regarded as the southern frontier of Poland or Russia. Related: Ukrainian.ullage (n.)"amount by which a cask or bottle falls short of being full," late 15c., from Anglo-French ulliage (early 14c.), Anglo-Latin oliagium (late 13c.), Old French ouillage, from ouiller "to fill up (a barrel) to the bung," literally "to fill to the eye," from ueil "eye" (perhaps used colloquially for "bung"), from Latin oculus (from PIE root *okw- "to see").ulna (n.)inner bone of the forearm, 1540s, medical Latin, from Latin ulna "the elbow," also a measure of length, from PIE *el-ina-, extended form of root *el- "elbow, forearm." Related: Ulnar.ultramarine (n.)1590s, "blue pigment made from lapis lazuli," from Medieval Latin ultramarinus, literally "beyond the sea," from Latin ultra- "beyond" (from suffixed form of PIE root *al- "beyond") + marinus "of the sea," from mare "sea, the sea, seawater," from PIE root *mori- "body of water." Said to be so called because the mineral was imported from Asia.ultramontane (adj.)1590s, from Middle French ultramontain "beyond the mountains" (especially the Alps), from Old French (early 14c.), from Latin ultra "beyond" (from suffixed form of PIE root *al- (1) "beyond") + stem of mons "hill" (from PIE root *men- (2) "to project"). Used especially of papal authority, though "connotation varies according to the position of the speaker or writer." [Weekley]
ululation (n.)1590s, from Latin ululationem (nominative ululatio) "a howling or wailing," noun of action from past participle stem of ululare "to howl, yell, shriek, wail, lament loudly," from a reduplicated imitative root (source also of Greek ololyzein "to cry aloud," Sanskrit ululih "a howling," Lithuanian uliuoti "to howl," Gaelic uileliugh "wail of lamentation," Old English ule "owl").
umlaut (n.)1852, from German umlaut "change of sound," from um "about" (from Proto-Germanic umbi, from PIE root *ambhi- "around") + laut "sound," from Old High German hlut (from Proto-Germanic *hludaz "heard, loud," from suffixed form of PIE root *kleu- "to hear"). Coined 1774 by poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724-1803) but first used in its current sense "modification of vowels" 1819 by linguist Jakob Grimm (1785-1863).
The scribal use of umlaut marks in German began 14c. as the pronunciation of some sounds simplified, to indicate the older ("proper") pronunciation; originally it was a full letter -e- above a -u- (later also added to -a- and -o-).
When the umlauted diphthong came to be pronounced as a single vowel sound ü, the e was then written over the u by many scribes in order to indicate the proper pronunciation of what had become a monophthong. ... Our "umlaut marks" are simply the vestiges of the two broken strokes of the Gothic-script e. [John T. Waterman, "A History of the German Language," University of Washington Press, 1976]
unanimous (adj.)1610s, from Latin unanimus "of one mind, in union," from unus "one" (from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique") + animus "mind, spirit" (see animus). Related: Unanimously.uncle (n.)late 13c., from Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus "mother's brother" ("father's brother" was patruus), literally "little grandfather," diminutive of avus "grandfather," from PIE root *awo- "grandfather, adult male relative other than one's father" (source also of Armenian hav "grandfather," Lithuanian avynas "maternal uncle," Old Church Slavonic uji "uncle," Welsh ewythr "uncle").
Replaced Old English eam (usually maternal; paternal uncle was fædera), which represents the Germanic form of the root (source also of Dutch oom, Old High German oheim "maternal uncle," German Ohm "uncle").
Also from French are German, Danish, Swedish onkel. As a familiar title of address to an old man, attested by 1793; in the U.S. South, especially "a kindly title for a worthy old negro" [Century Dictionary]. First record of Dutch uncle (and his blunt, stern, benevolent advice) is from 1838; Welsh uncle (1747) was the male first cousin of one's parent. To say uncle as a sign of submission in a fight is North American, attested from 1909, of uncertain signification.uncouth (adj.)Old English uncuð "unknown, strange, unusual; uncertain, unfamiliar; unfriendly, unkind, rough," from un- (1) "not" + cuð "known, well-known," past participle of cunnan "to know" (see can (v.1)), from PIE root *gno- "to know." Meaning "strange, crude, clumsy" is first recorded 1510s. The compound (and the thing it describes) widespread in IE languages, such as Latin ignorantem, Old Norse ukuðr, Gothic unkunþs, Sanskrit ajnatah, Armenian ancanaut', Greek agnotos, Old Irish ingnad "unknown."understand (v.)Old English understandan "comprehend, grasp the idea of," probably literally "stand in the midst of," from under + standan "to stand" (see stand (v.)). If this is the meaning, the under is not the usual word meaning "beneath," but from Old English under, from PIE *nter- "between, among" (source also of Sanskrit antar "among, between," Latin inter "between, among," Greek entera "intestines;" see inter-). Related: Understood; understanding.
That is the suggestion in Barnhart, but other sources regard the "among, between, before, in the presence of" sense of Old English prefix and preposition under as other meanings of the same word. "Among" seems to be the sense in many Old English compounds that resemble understand, such as underniman "to receive," undersecan "examine, investigate, scrutinize" (literally "underseek"), underðencan "consider, change one's mind," underginnan "to begin." It also seems to be the sense still in expressions such as under such circumstances.
Perhaps the ultimate sense is "be close to;" compare Greek epistamai "I know how, I know," literally "I stand upon." Similar formations are found in Old Frisian (understonda), Middle Danish (understande), while other Germanic languages use compounds meaning "stand before" (German verstehen, represented in Old English by forstanden "understand," also "oppose, withstand"). For this concept, most Indo-European languages use figurative extensions of compounds that literally mean "put together," or "separate," or "take, grasp" (see comprehend). Old English oferstandan, Middle English overstonden, literally "over-stand" seem to have been used only in literal senses. For "to stand under" in a physical sense, Old English had undergestandan.undine (n.)female water spirit, 1821, from Modern Latin Undina (1650s), coined by Paracelsus ("De Nymphis") in his alchemical system, from Latin unda "a wave, billow" (from PIE root *wed- (1) "water; wet"). Popularized by German romance "Undine, eine Erzählung" (1811) by Baron F.H.C. La Motte Fouqué. Undinism (1928) was coined by sex researcher Havelock Ellis to describe the fetish for urine (which Ellis had); nowadays it would be called urophilia.undulant (adj.)1830, from Latin undulantem (nominative undulans), from unda "a wave," from PIE *unda-, nasalized form of root *wed- (1) "water; wet."undulate (v.)"to move in waves," 1660s, back-formation from undulation. Related: undulated, undulating.undulation (n.)1640s, from Medieval Latin *undulatio, from Late Latin undulatus "wavy, undulated," from undula "wavelet," diminutive of Latin unda "a wave," from PIE *unda-, nasalized form of root *wed- (1) "water; wet."Uniate "pertaining to an Eastern Christian church that acknowledges the supremacy of the Pope," 1833, from Russian uniyat, from unia "unity, union," from Latin unus "one" (from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique").unicorn (n.)early 13c., from Old French unicorne, from Late Latin unicornus (Vulgate), from noun use of Latin unicornis (adj.) "having one horn," from uni- "one" (from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique") + cornus "horn," from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head."
The Late Latin word translates Greek monoceros, itself rendering Hebrew re'em (Deuteronomy xxxiii.17 and elsewhere), which probably was a kind of wild ox. According to Pliny, a creature with a horse's body, deer's head, elephant's feet, lion's tail, and one black horn two cubits long projecting from its forehead. Compare German Einhorn, Welsh ungorn, Breton uncorn, Old Church Slavonic ino-rogu. Old English used anhorn as a loan-translation of Latin unicornis.
unify (v.)c. 1500, "to make into one," from Middle French unifier (14c.) or directly from Late Latin unificare "make one," from Latin uni- "one" (see uni-) + combining form of facere "to make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Related: Unified; unifying. Unified (field) theory in physics is recorded from 1935.universe (n.)1580s, "the whole world, cosmos, the totality of existing things," from Old French univers (12c.), from Latin universum "all things, everybody, all people, the whole world," noun use of neuter of adjective universus "all together, all in one, whole, entire, relating to all," literally "turned into one," from unus "one" (from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique") + versus, past participle of vertere "to turn, turn back, be turned; convert, transform, translate; be changed" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend").
university (n.)c. 1300, "institution of higher learning," also "body of persons constituting a university," from Anglo-French université, Old French universite "universality; academic community" (13c.), from Medieval Latin universitatem (nominative universitas), "the whole, aggregate," in Late Latin "corporation, society," from universus "whole, entire" (see universe). In the academic sense, a shortening of universitas magistrorum et scholarium "community of masters and scholars;" superseded studium as the word for this. The Latin word also is the source of Spanish universidad, German universität, Russian universitetŭ, etc.until (prep.)c. 1200, from till (prep.). The first element is un- "as far as, up to" (also in unto), from Old Norse *und "as far as, up to," from Proto-Germanic *und- (source also of Old English oð "up to, as far as," Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Gothic und), from PIE *nti-, from root *ant- "front, forehead," with derivatives meaning "in front of, before."
The two syllables have the same meaning. Originally also used of persons and places. As a conjunction from c. 1300. Similar formation in Swedish intill, Danish indtil (northern English and Scottish formerly also had intill/intil "into, in"). The Modern German equivalent, bis (Old High German biaz), is a similar compound, of Old High German bi "by, at, to" and zu "to."unwitting (adj.)late 14c., altered from or re-formed to replace unwitand, from Old English unwitende "ignorant," from un- (1) "not" + witting (adj.); see -ing (2). Similar formation in Old High German unwizzanti, German unwissend, Old Norse uvitandi, Gothic unwitands. Rare after c. 1600; revived c. 1800. Related: Unwittingly.Upanishad (n.)one of a class of speculative treatises in Sanskrit literature, 1805, from Sanskrit upa-nishad, literally "a sitting down beside." From upa "near to" (from PIE root *upo "under," also "up from under," hence also "over") + ni-shad "to sit or lie down," from ni "downward" (from PIE *ni-, see nether) + -sad "sitting," from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit."urge (v.)1550s, from Latin urgere "to press hard, push forward, force, drive, compel, stimulate," perhaps [de Vaan] from a PIE root *urgh- "to tie, bind" (source also of Lithuanian veržti "tie, fasten, squeeze," vargas "need, distress," vergas "slave;" Old Church Slavonic vragu "enemy;" Gothic wrikan "persecute," Old English wrecan "drive, hunt, pursue"), via a notion of "to weigh down on," hence "to insist, impel." The other possibility is that the PIE root is *ureg- "to follow a track." Related: Urged; urging.
urine (n.)c. 1300, from Old French orine, urine (12c.) and directly from Latin urina "urine," from PIE *ur- (source also of Greek ouron "urine"), variant of root *we-r- "water, liquid, milk" (source also of Sanskrit var "water," Avestan var "rain," Lithuanian jūrės "sea," Old English wær, Old Norse ver "sea," Old Norse ur "drizzling rain"), related to *eue-dh-r (see udder).
us (pron.)Old English us (cognate with Old Saxon, Old Frisian us, Old Norse, Swedish oss, Dutch ons, German uns), accusative and dative plural of we, from PIE *nes- (2), forming oblique cases of the first person plural personal pronoun (source also of Sanskrit nas, Avestan na, Hittite nash "us;" Greek no "we two;" Latin nos "we, us;" Old Church Slavonic ny "us," nasu "our;" Old Irish ni, Welsh ni "we, us"). The -n- is preserved in Germanic in Dutch ons, German uns.uterus (n.)"female organ of gestation, womb," late 14c., from Latin uterus "womb, belly" (plural uteri), from PIE root *udero- "abdomen, womb, stomach" (source also of Sanskrit udaram "belly," Greek hystera "womb," Lithuanian vėderas "sausage, intestines, stomach, lower abdomen," Old Church Slavonic vedro "bucket, barrel," Russian vedro).
Utgard abode of the giants in Norse mythology, from Old Norse Utgarðar, from ut "out" (see out (adv.)) + garðr "yard" (from PIE root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose").