- usury (n.)
- c. 1300, "practice of lending money at interest," later, at excessive rates of interest, from Medieval Latin usuria, alteration of Latin usura "payment for the use of money, interest," literally "a usage, use, enjoyment," from usus, from stem of uti (see use (v.)). From mid-15c. as "premium paid for the use of money, interest," especially "exorbitant interest."
- Utah
- U.S. teritory organized 1850 (admitted as a state 1896), from Spanish yuta, name of the indigenous Uto-Aztecan people of the Great Basin (Modern English Ute), perhaps from Western Apache (Athabaskan) yudah "high" (in reference to living in the mountains).
- Ute
- 1826; see Utah.
- utensil (n.)
- late 14c., from Old French utensile "implement" (14c., Modern French ustensile), from Latin utensilia "materials, things for use," noun use of neuter plural of utensilis (adj.) "fit for use, of use, useful," from uti (see use (v.)).
- uterine (adj.)
- 1610s, "pertaining to the womb" (from early 15c. as "having the same birth-mother"), from Old French uterin, from Late Latin uterinus "pertaining to the womb," also "born of the same mother," from Latin uterus "womb" (see uterus).
- utero-
- before vowels uter-, word-forming element, from comb. form of Latin uterus (see uterus).
- 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 vederas "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" (see yard (n.1)).
- utile (adj.)
- late 15c., from Old French utile "useful" (13c.), from Latin utilis "useful, beneficial, profitable," from uti "make use of, profit by, take advantage of" (see use (v.)).
- utilisation (n.)
- chiefly British English spelling of utilization (q.v.). For spelling, see -ize.
- utilitarian (n.)
- 1781, coined by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) from utility + -arian on the model of + unitarian, etc. One guided by the doctrine of the greatest happiness for the greatest number. From 1802 as an adjective; in the general sense "having regard to utility rather than beauty," from 1847.
- utilitarianism (n.)
- 1827, from utilitarian + -ism. The doctrine that the end of all action should be the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
- utility (n.)
- late 14c., "fact of being useful," from Old French utilite "usefulness" (13c., Modern French + utilité), earlier utilitet (12c.), from Latin utilitatem (nominative utilitas) "usefulness, serviceableness, profit," from utilis "usable," from uti "make use of, profit by, take advantage of" (see use (v.)). Meaning "a useful thing" is from late 15c. As a shortened form of public utility it is recorded from 1930.
- utilization (n.)
- 1847, noun of action from utilize. Compare French utilisation.
- utilize (v.)
- 1794, from French utiliser, from Italian utilizzare, from utile "usable," from Latin utilis "usable," from uti "make use of, profit by, take advantage of" (see use (v.)).
Utilize is fast antiquating improve, in the sense of 'turn to account.' [Fitzedward Hall, "Modern English," 1873]
- utmost (adj.)
- Old English utmest (Anglian) "outermost," double superlative of ut "out" (see out (adv.)) + -most. Meaning "being of the greatest or highest degree" is from early 14c.
- utopia (n.)
- 1551, from Modern Latin Utopia, literally "nowhere," coined by Thomas More (and used as title of his book, 1516, about an imaginary island enjoying the utmost perfection in legal, social, and political systems), from Greek ou "not" + topos "place" (see topos). Extended to any perfect place by 1610s. Commonly, but incorrectly, taken as from Greek eu- "good" (see eu-) an error reinforced by the introduction of dystopia.
- utopian (adj.)
- 1550s, with reference to More's fictional country; 1610s as "extravagantly ideal, impossibly visionary," from utopia + -an. As a noun meaning "visionary idealist" it is recorded by 1832 (also in this sense was utopiast, 1845).
- utopianism (n.)
- 1783, from utopian + -ism.
- utter (adj.)
- Old English utera, uterra, "outer, exterior, external," from Proto-Germanic *utizon (source also of Old Norse utar, Old Frisian uttra, Middle Dutch utere, Dutch uiter-, Old High German uzar, German äußer "outer"), comparative adjective from ut (see out (adv.)). Meaning "complete, total" (i.e. "going to the utmost point") is from early 15c.
- utter (v.)
- "speak, say," c. 1400, in part from Middle Dutch uteren or Middle Low German utern "to turn out, show, speak," from uter "outer," comparative adjective from ut "out" (see utter (adj.)); in part from Middle English verb outen "to disclose," from Old English utan "to put out," from ut (see out (v.)). Compare German äussern "to utter, express," from aus "out;" and colloquial phrase out with it "speak up!" Formerly also used as a commercial verb (as release is now). Related: Uttered; uttering.
- utterance (n.)
- "that which is uttered," c. 1400, from utter (v.) + -ance.
- utterly (adv.)
- early 13c., "truly, plainly, outspokenly," from utter (v.) + -ly (1); meaning "to an absolute degree" is late 14c., from utter (adj.)). Cf similarly formed German äusserlich. Old English uterlic (adj.) meant "external."
- uttermost (adj.)
- late 14c., from utter (adj.) + -most. More recent than utmost. Compare utmost. Middle English also had uttermore (late 14c.), now, alas, no longer with us.
- UV
- abbreviation of ultraviolet, by 1928.
- uvea (n.)
- late 14c., from medical Latin uvea, from Latin uva "grape; uvula" (see uvula). Partial loan-translation of Greek hrago-eides (khiton) "(the covering) resembling berries or grapes" (Galen). Related: Uveal.
- uvula (n.)
- late 14c., from Late Latin uvula, from Latin uvola "small bunch of grapes," diminutive of uva "grape," from PIE root *og- "fruit, berry." So called from fancied resemblance of the organ to small grapes. Related: Uvular.
- uxorial (adj.)
- "of or pertaining to a wife," 1778, from Latin uxoris (see uxorious) + -al (1). Sometimes is used in the sense of uxorius.
We still say that a husband hangs out the broom when his wife goes from home for a short time; and on such occasions a broom besom has been exhibited as a signal that the house was freed from uxorial restraint, and where the master might be considered as a temporary bachelor. [Samuel Johnson and George Steevens, notes to "The Tempest," 1778]
- uxoricide (n.)
- 1830, "one who kills his wife;" 1835, "the murder of one's wife," from French uxoricide (in use 1820s) from Latin uxor "wife" (see uxorious) + -cide. Related: Uxoricidal.
- uxorious (adj.)
- "excessively fond of or submissive to one's wife," 1590s, from Latin uxorius "of or pertaining to a wife," also "devoted to a wife" or "ruled by a wife," from uxor (genitive uxoris) "wife," according to Watkins from PIE *uk-sor- "'she who gets accustomed" (to a new household)' after patrilocal marriage."
- Uzi
- 1959, trademark name for Israeli-made submachine gun, developed by Usiel Gal (1923–2002), and manufactured by IMI.