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uni

1

[ yoo-nee ]

noun

, Informal.
  1. a uniformed police officer; uniform:

    A uni phoned in the burglary at 2:19 this morning.

  2. British and Australian. university:

    Tony and Marc are both off to uni in two weeks.



uni-

2
  1. a combining form occurring in loanwords from Latin ( universe ), used, with the meaning “one,” in the formation of compound words ( unicycle ).

uni-

1

combining_form

  1. consisting of, relating to, or having only one

    unisexual

    unilateral

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


uni

2

/ ˈjuːnɪ /

noun

  1. informal.
    short for university
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of uni1

First recorded in 1895–1900; by shortening

Origin of uni2

< Latin ūni- combining form of ūnus one; -i-
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Word History and Origins

Origin of uni1

from Latin ūnus one
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Example Sentences

The white uni features a wide, royal blue stripe down the side of the jersey.

Wearing dashikis, yukatas, and flannel robes—any kind of billowing uni-garment will do the trick.

Just this weekend, Tea Party Express held a “Uni-tea” event in Philadelphia, designed to convey an image of racial inclusion.

Undoubtedly it would be so, if Theodotus were excommunicated precisely for his belief in the uni-personality of God.

Herbæ ramosæ, foliis angustis integris aut pinnatifidis, ramis uni-plurifloris.

Pompeium, sed non esse uni omnia tribuenda, adiecissetque: Si quid huic acciderit, quem in eius locum substituetis?

Uni suppliciter sepulturam precanti respondisse dicitur iam istam in volucrum fore potestate.

Uni gladly consented to this proposal, and confined his attentions to sending his pages with daily greetings and gifts.

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Words That Use Uni-

What does uni- mean?

Uni- is a combining form used like a prefix, meaning “one.”  Uni- appears in a wide variety of everyday and technical terms alike.

Uni- comes from the Latin ūnus, meaning “one.” The Greek counterpart of uni- is mono-, as in monologue. Learn more at our Words That Use article on the form.

Examples of uni-

One popular word that features uni- is unicorn, “a mythical creature resembling a horse, with a single horn in the center of its forehead.” The word comes from the Latin ūnicornis, which uses the equivalent form uni- in the language.

If uni- means “one,” what does the -corn portion of the word signify? The element -corn refers to “horn,” from the Latin cōrnu. Unicorn literally translates to “(having) one horn.”

What are some words that use the combining form uni-?

The following words use the equivalent forms of uni- in Latin:

What are some other forms that uni- may be commonly confused with?

Not every word that begins with the letters uni- is necessarily using the combining form uni- to mean “one.” These words, such as unidentified, are instead using the form un-, “not,” in combination with a second form beginning with the letter i. Learn more about the word unidentified at our entry.

Break it down!

The word cycle, from Greek kýklos, has a variety of meanings, including “wheel.” With this in mind, what does unicycle mean?

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