ur-
See also: Appendix:Variations of "ur"
English
Etymology
From German ur-, originally from Old High German ir-, ur- (“thoroughly”),[1] from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”), from Proto-Indo-European *uds- (“up, out”), from Proto-Indo-European *úd (same meaning). Cognate with Dutch oer-, English or-.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ʊə/, /ɜː/
- (US) IPA(key): /ɝ/
Prefix
ur-
- Forming words with the sense of “proto-, primitive, original”.
- 2003, John Adcox, 'Can Fantasy be Myth? Mythopoeia and The Lord of the Rings', The Newsletter of the Mythic Imagination Institute:
- Some stories reach deeper, into the most primal and profound truths. They mirror, in new and original ways, the Ur-myth, the act of creation itself.
- 2007, Max Rodenbeck, ‘Lebanon's Agony’, New York Review of Books, vol. 54 no. 11:
- Lebanon ultimately remains hostage to the regional ur-conflict over Palestine.
- 2003, John Adcox, 'Can Fantasy be Myth? Mythopoeia and The Lord of the Rings', The Newsletter of the Mythic Imagination Institute:
Coordinate terms
- arch-, archi-, archo-
Derived terms
English terms prefixed with ur-
- ur-ancestor
- ur-bird
- ur-continent
- ur-culture
- urelement
- ur-fascism
- urfly
- urfolk
- ur-form
- Ur-Germanic
- ur-Hamlet
- ur-hero
- ur-homeland
- ur-language
- ur-mind
- ur-myth
- ur-ocean
- ur-poem
- ur-race
- ur-science
- ur-source
- ur-speech
- urtext
- ur-type
- ur-vogel
- ur-word
Related terms
- Urheimat, urheimat
Translations
forming words with the sense of 'primitive'
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References
- “Ur-”, in the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, 1974 edition.
Anagrams
- Ru.
Danish
Prefix
ur-
- ur-, proto-
Derived terms
Danish terms prefixed with ur-
German
Etymology
From Middle High German ur-, from Old High German ur-, ir- (“thoroughly”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”).[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /uːɐ̯/, [ʔuːɐ̯] (standard)
- IPA(key): /ʊʁ/, [ʔʊɐ̯] (by a common merger)
Audio (file)
Prefix
ur-
- ur- (proto-, primitive, original)[1]
- ur- + Schrei (“scream”) → Urschrei (“primal scream”)
- ur- + Wald (“forest”) → Urwald (“primeval forest”)
- great-; indicates an additional generation of separation between relatives
- ur- + Opa (“grandfather”) → Uropa (“great-grandfather”)
- (especially Austria) very; used to intensify adjectives
- ur- + alt (“old”) → uralt (“ancient”)
- ur- + gemütlich (“cosy”) → urgemütlich (“very cosy”)
- (Can we clean up(+) this sense?) (in some old inherited nouns) Alternative form of er-
Derived terms
German terms prefixed with ur-
- Uralt
- Urfaust
- Urknall
- Urmonotheismus
Descendants
- → English: ur-
- → Dutch: oer-
References
- “ur-” in the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, 1974 edition.
Gothic
Romanization
ur-
- Romanization of 𐌿𐍂-
Irish
Etymology
From Old Irish er. Akin to ar.
Pronunciation
- (Munster, Connacht) IPA(key): /ʊɾˠ/
- (Ulster) IPA(key): /ʌɾˠ/
Prefix
ur-
- before, ante-, pro-; over-
- (intensifying) very
- Alternative form of for- (“over, superior, super-; outer, external; great, extreme”)
Derived terms
Irish terms prefixed with ur-
See also
- an-
- ro-
Mutation
| Irish mutation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Radical | Eclipsis | with h-prothesis | with t-prothesis |
| ur- | n-ur- | hur- | t-ur- |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | |||
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “ur-”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From German ur-.
Prefix
ur-
- primeval, primordial, primitive, proto-
- first, original
- exceedingly, extremely, very (in adjectives)
References
Norwegian Bokmål terms prefixed with ur-
- “ur-” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From German ur-.
Prefix
ur-
- primeval, primordial, primitive, proto-
- first, original
- exceedingly, extremely, very (in adjectives)
References
Norwegian Nynorsk terms prefixed with ur-
- “ur-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old High German
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-.
Prefix
ur-
- thoroughly[1]
Descendants
- Middle High German: ur-
- German: ur-
- → English: ur-
- → Dutch: oer-
- Yiddish: אור־ (ur-)
- German: ur-
References
- Ur-, in the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, 1974 edition.
Swedish
Prefix
ur-
- (colloquial, intensifier) very, super-
- Han är urgammal ― He's super old
- Hon är urfånig ― She's super silly
- Synonyms: as-, gör-, jätte-, skit-, svin-, vrål-
- aboriginal, primeval, proto-, original (with general connotations of old)
Usage notes
- Can be put before virtually any adjective or adverb as an intensifier.
- Gives connotations of ancient when put before nouns. "Urhammaren" could be translated as "the ancient hammer" without further context.
Derived terms
- urdjur (“Protozoa”)
- urinvånare (“indigenous people”)
- urskog (“primeval forest”)
- urusel (“godawful”)