-u

See also -ú

Esperanto

Etymology

• Perhaps from the Greek -ou imperative (pronounced [u]) of deponent verbs such as dekhou "receive!", or from the Hebrew imperative -û. It may instead—or also—be connected to the vowel of the Esperanto conditional suffix -us, minus the s of the indicative inflections.
• Apparently connected to the u at the end of unu "one", "a certain".

Suffix

-u

1. do [it]! (jussive inflection of verbs.)
   • Parolu!: Speak!
2. -one. (Ending of the individual correlatives.)
   • kiu: what individual, who
   • tiu: that individual, that one
   • ĉiu: all individuals, everyone
   • iu: some individual, someone
   • neniu: no individual, nobody
   • (nonce) aliu: another individual, someone else

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Finnish

Suffix

-u (front vowel harmony variant -y)

1. Used to form nouns, from verbs. Most common with e- and i-stem verbs.

   hyppi- (“to be jumping”) → hyppy (“jump”)

   itke- (“to cry”) → itku (“cry(ing)”)

   pese- (“to wash”) → pesu (“wash(ing)”)

   potki- (“to kick”) → potku (“kick”)

   urheile- (“to practice sport”) → urheilu (“sport”)

2. Derives a number of nouns from other nouns.

   silmä (“eye”) → silmu (“bud”)

   sisä- (“inside”) → sisu (“determination, perseverance”)

Usage notes

The front-harmonic variant -y is only used when the first vowel of the word is one of the harmonic front vowels y, ä, ö; words beginning with neutral front vowels e, i take the back-harmonic variant.

Declension

Declension of -u (type valo) singular plural nominative -u -ut genitive -un -ujen partitive -ua -uja accusative -u -un -ut inessive -ussa -uissa elative -usta -uista illative -uun -uihin adessive -ulla -uilla ablative -ulta -uilta allative -ulle -uille essive -una -uina translative -uksi -uiksi instructive – -uin abessive -utta -uitta comitative – -uineen

Declension of -u (type palvelu) singular plural nominative -u -ut genitive -un -ujen -uiden -uitten partitive -ua -uja -uita accusative -u -un -ut inessive -ussa -uissa elative -usta -uista illative -uun -uihin adessive -ulla -uilla ablative -ulta -uilta allative -ulle -uille essive -una -uina translative -uksi -uiksi instructive – -uin abessive -utta -uitta comitative – -uineen

See also

• -o
• -uu

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French

Etymology

Latin -utum (accusative of -utus). Cognate to Italian -uto (as in barbuto) and Spanish -udo (as in barbudo).

Suffix

-u

1. Forming adjectives having the sense of ‘having quality of, being provided of’ (the root word).

   barbe (“beard”) --> barbu (“bearded”)

   ventre (“belly”) --> ventru (“pot-bellied, rounded”)

See also

[+] French words suffixed with -u

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Gothic

Romanization

-u

1. See -𐌿

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Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic ـهُ (-hu)

Alternative forms

• -h

Pronoun

-u m

1. him, it

Usage notes

• Affixed to the verb directly:

qatel (he killed) + -u = qatlu (he killed him)

Related terms

• hu, huwa

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Old English

Alternative forms

• -o

Etymology

From suppletive fusion of Old English feminine ending -u, -o and Proto-Germanic *-į̄ (“feminine abstract ending”). Akin to Gothic feminine abstracts in -ei (compare 𐌼𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌻𐌴𐌹 (mikilei, “greatness”); 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍀𐌴𐌹 (diupei, “depth”)).

Suffix

-u f

1. ending used to form abstract nouns from adjectives (compare Modern English -ness), often causing i-mutation, and remaining even when preceded by a long syllable

   ieldu (“age”), from eald "old"

   hāligu (“holiness”)

   hǣlu "wholeness, heath"

   hǣtu "heat, warmth"

   menniscu "humanity"

   miċelu "greatness, size"

Declension

    Declension of -u (strong ō-stem)

	Singular	Plural
nominative	-u	-a, -e
accusative	-e	-a, -e
genitive	-e	-a
dative	-e	-um

Usage notes

In later Old English, -u became -o and the declension altered to reflect the following paradigm

    Declension of -u

	Singular	Plural
nominative	-o	-o
accusative	-o	-o
genitive	-o	-a
dative	-o	-um