Doing a U-turn!

The letter “U”, 21st letter and ultima vowel of the Latin alphabet, phonemetically one-half of the letter “W” (“double-U”). “U” derives from the Semitic waw, as does F, and later, Y, W, and V. Pictorially its oldest ancestor goes to Egyptian hieroglyphs, and is probably sourced from a hieroglyph of a mace or fowl, representing the sound [v] or the sound [w]. This was borrowed to Phoenician, where it represented the sound [w], and seldom the vowel [u]. The bulk of the U-words that follow reveal the extent of the debt of their Latin roots.

<word> <meaning> <derivation>

Uberous: yielding an abundance of milk 🐄 🥛[L. uber (“full”; “fruitful”; “fertile”; “abundant”; “plentiful”; “copious”; “productive”) + -ous] (cf. Uberty: fruitfulness; abundantly productive)

Ubicity: whereabouts [L. ubi (“where”) + -icity] (cf. Ubique: everywhere)

Ucalegon: neighbour whose house is on fire [eponym from ancient Greek. ~ an Elder of Troy, Ucalegon’s house was set afire by the Achaeans during the sack of Troy (the Iliad; the Aeneid]

Ulotrichous: having woolly hair [Gk. oûlos, (“crisp, curly”) + –trikhos, (“haired”)]

Ultimo: of last month [L. ultimo (“mense”) (“in the last month”)]

Ultimogeniture: inheritance/right of succession going to the last son [L. ultimus (“last”) + Late Lat.-genitura (“a late birth”)]

Ultracrepidate: to criticise beyond the range of one’s knowledge; to go beyond one’s purview [L. ultra crepidam (“beyond the sandal”)]

Ultrafidian: going beyond more than mere faith; gullible [L. ultrā (“beyond”) + -fidem (“faith”) + -ian]

Ultrageous: violently extreme [L. ultrā + –geous(?)]

Ultraist: someone holding extreme views [L. ultrā + -ist]

Ultramontane: south of the Alps; other side of the Alps; a Catholic Church belief that supports the pope’s supreme authority [L. ultrā + -mont-, -mons (“mountain”)]

Ultroneous: pertaining to a witness who testifies voluntarily [L. ultroneus, from ultro (“to the further side, on his part, of one’s own accord”)]

Unasinous: equally as stupid as each other [L. ünus (“one”) + -asinus (“ass”) + -ous]

Unctuous: oily; slimy; greasy; offensively suave and smug; ingratiating; sycophantic [L. unguere (“to anoint”) + -ous]

Undecennial: occurring every eleven years [L. undecim (“eleven”) + –ial]

Undinism: the trait of having erotic thoughts when viewing or contemplating water; an awakening of the libido caused by viewing running water or urine [L. unda (“wave”) -ism]

Unicity: the fact of being or consisting of one, or of being united as a whole; the quality of being unique [L. ūnicitās, ūnicus (“uniqueness”) + -ity]

Unigeniture: the state of being the only begotten (ie, fathering a child into existence) [L. unigenitus (“only-begotten”), from unus (“one”) + –genitum (“to beget”)]

Unipara: a woman who gives birth only the once [unus, unius + –parus (“to produce”)]

Unsinew: to take the strength from [un- + from Old Saxon. sinewa]

Untreasure: to despoil [un- + Gk. thēsaurós, (“treasure house”)]

Unwithdrawing: not withdrawing or retreating”; “lavish or liberal” [un- + MidEng. from with from + drawen (“to draw”)]

Unzymotic: fabulous [(?) un- + zumoûn (“to ferment”)]

Upaithric: roofless; open to the sky [Gk. hypaithros, from hypo- + aithēr (“ether”; air”)]

Upas: poisonous or harmful institution or influence [Indon. Malay pohon upas (“poison tree”)] 🌳

Uraniscus: roof of the mouth; the palate [Gk. ouranískos, (“ceiling”)]

Uranism: male homosexuality [Gk. ouránios, (“heavenly”; “spiritual”)]

Urinator: a diver, especially someone who searches for things underwater [L. ūrīnātor (“diver”), from ūrīnor (“to plunge under water”; “dive”), poss. from ūrīna (“urine”; water(?))]

Ursine: of, like or pertaining to bears [from L. ursus (“bear”)] (cf. Ursiform: having the shape or appearance of a bear)

Urticant: (Path.) causing a stinging or itching sensation; irritating [MedLat. urticant-, urticans, from L. urticare (“to sting”)]

Usance: (orig.) habit; custom; firmly established and generally accepted practice or procedure; use, employment; (obs.) interest [L. ūsant-, from ūsāre (“to use”)]

Usitative: signifying a usual act [L. usitari (“to use often”)]

Usufruct: (Civil Law) the right to use and enjoy something; a limited real right which unites the two property interests of usus (usage of or access to) is the right to use or enjoy a thing possessed, directly and without altering it) and fructus (the right to derive profit from a thing possessed: eg, by selling crops (the “fruits” of production), leasing immovables or annexed movables, taxing for entry, and so on [L. uses et fructus (“use and employment”)] 𓍝

Uxorial: of, like or pertaining to a wife [L. uxōrius (“of or pertaining to a wife; overly fond of one’s wife”) from uxor (“wife”) + -al ] (cf. Uxorious: excessively fond of one’s wife) (cf. Uxorodespotic: morbid domineering by one’s wife; wifely tyranny of her husband ➲ (cf. Maritodespotism: tyrannical rulership of a wife by her husband)

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