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U 21st letter of the alphabet , corresponding to the Greek upsilon [Gr.,=u without the aspirate]. Until the late Middle Ages the capital was V, the minuscule u, no distinction being made between the consonantal and vocalic uses of the letter. The fixing of modern orthography, however, has restricted u to the vowel, v to the consonant. In phonetics ŭ usually represents a high back rounded vowel, rather like oo in foot; English ū is a triphthong of y, oo, and w as in utensil; the Continental ū, or oo, is a diphthong of oo and w, as in glue. In chemistry, U is the symbol of the element uranium .

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"U." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 20 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"U." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 20, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-U1.html

"U." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-U1.html

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U

A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology | 2004 | | Â© A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

U. The twenty-first letter of the modern English alphabet is represented by ur [blackthorn] in the ogham alphabet of early Ireland.

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JAMES MacKILLOP. "U." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 20 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES MacKILLOP. "U." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (December 20, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-U.html

JAMES MacKILLOP. "U." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved December 20, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-U.html

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The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

U¹ / yoō/ (also u) • n. (pl. Us or U's ) 1. the twenty-first letter of the alphabet. ∎ denoting the next after T in a set of items, categories, etc. 2. (U) a shape like that of a capital U, esp. a cross section: [in comb.] U-shaped glaciated valleys. U² • symb. the chemical element uranium. U³ • adj. inf., chiefly Brit. (of language or social behavior) characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes: U manners. U⁴ / oō/ • n. a Burmese title of respect before a man's name, equivalent to Mr.: U Thien San.

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"U." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-u.html

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