U
WordNet
adjective
(1) (chiefly British) of or appropriate to the upper classes especially in language use
noun
(2) The 21st letter of the Roman alphabet
(3) A heavy toxic silvery-white radioactive metallic element; occurs in many isotopes; used for nuclear fuels and nuclear weapons
(4) A base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
WiktionaryText
Letter
- The twenty-first letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.
Symbol
U
Letter
U (uppercase, lowercase u)
Noun
- The twenty-first letter of the English alphabet.
U
- (British film certificate) Universal - suitable for all ages
- Under
- University
- Up, Upper
Adjective
U
- Characteristic of the upper classes, particularly in use of language.
Quotations
- [1956], Alan S.C. Ross, “U and non-U,” in Brewer’s Anthology of England and the English, David Milsted http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=zy5Ilrb2Ev8C&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&sig=mfnYESKOJ5OvzHMthXuIGXEjshs
- To TAKE a bath is non-U against U to HAVE one’s bath.
- 1956, Nancy Mitford, Noblesse Oblige: an Inquiry into the Identifiable Characteristics of the English Aristocracy
- In a treatise that still causes ripples in English society, Mitford defined various terms as either U (upper class) or non-U.
- 1992, Stephan Gramley, Survey of Modern English http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=nFspRR1BX5cC&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&sig=nq8ymsvRAHpTpNURn-ykg6uHiJs
- Other, perhaps more contentious generalizations, which nevertheless contain a certain amount of truth, are that afternoon tea is U, starts at four and typically consists of tea, thin sandwiches and cakes.
- 1992, Linda Rosenkrantz, Beyond Charles and Diana http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=_pILwnPV29gC&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&sig=nnb1k-NENKsOGlfASOwuwwLV1yw
Proper noun
- A language belonging to the Austro-Asiatic language family which is spoken in China.
Letter
- The letter U