Latin Derivatives
- U -

ubiquitous - present everywhere at the same time: Our new supervisor, who dearly wants to be ubiquitous, drives himself, and us, crazy as he continuously rushes from one station to another. Also: ubiquitousness, ubiquity (omnipresence). [ubique - everywhere] 

ulterior - 1) beyond what is evident or openly stated; 2) lying beyond; more distant: The swimming pool will go right over there, and the tennis courts will be built in an undetermined ulterior location. 3) subsequent. 

ultimate - 1) beyond which it is impossible to go; 2) the greatest or highest possible: Some scientists now think that it may be possible to generate speeds faster than 186,282 miles per second (the speed of light), which according to Einstein is the ultimate velocity. 3) last possible; final. Also: antepenult (the third last syllable of a word), antepenultimate (third from the last), penult (the second last syllable of a word), penultimate (next to last). [paene - almost; ante (adv.; prep. w/ acc.) - before] 

ultimatum - a final request, offer, or demand, the rejection of which will bring about a break in relations or result in punitive actions: The Secretary General of the United Nations issued an ultimatum to the Serbs that they withdraw from Sarajevo or face military reprisal by the United Nations. 

somber - dark, gloomy: Graduation from high school, by and large a joyous occasion, has a somber side as well: many graduates will seldom, if ever, see each other again. Also: somberness. [sub (prep. w/ acc. and abl.) - under; umbraculum, umbraculi, n. - a shady place; umbratilis, umbratile - in the shade; retired; umbrifer, umbrifera, umbriferum - casting shade; umbro, umbrare, umbravi, umbratus - to cover, shade; umbrosus, umbrosa, umbrosum - shady] 

inundate - to flood: In the summer of 1993 the waters of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers rose to record heights,  inundating some 13 million acres of land in nine states. Also: inundation, inundator, inundatory. [inundo, inundare, inundavi, inundatus - to overflow, inundate; inundatio, inundationis, f. - flood] 

redundancy - more than is needed; the use of too many words; unnecessary repetition: Fresh out of ideas and in need of 100 more words, Theresa hammered out a final paragraph of sheer redundancy. Also: redundance (redundancy), redundant. [redundantia, redundantiae, f. - overflowing, excess; redundo, redundare, redundavi, redundatus - to overflow; to exist in abundance or excess] 

undulate - to move in the manner of waves; to have a wavy form or surface: The narrow, undulating 400-yard fairway ends at a small lake, beyond which, perched atop a steep knoll surrounded by sand traps, is the green. Also: undulation, undulative, undulator, undulatory. [undulatus, undulata, undulatum - waved] 

unguent - an ointment of salve for wounds, sores, and burns: She applied an unguent derived from aloe vera on the minor burns of her child. [unguo, unguere, unxi, unctus - to besmear, anoint; unguen, unguinis, n. - ointment; unguentarius, unguentari, m. - a dealer in ointments]

unique - one of a kind; having no like or equal: Logically, the expressions "more unique" and "most unique" are wrong. Also: uniqueness. [unicus, unica, unicum - sole, only] 

urban - having to do with cities or towns: The federal government has been criticized for providing too little support for urban renewal. Also: interurban (carried on between different cities), urbanism (the way of life of city-dwellers), urbanist (one who plans cities), urbanistic (pertaining to urbanism), urbanite (city dweller), urbanization, urbanize (to make urban), urbanization. [urbanus, urbana, urbanum - urban] 

urbane - elegant; refined; polite in a smooth way: Urbane in public, boorish in private, the judge fooled most people but had few friends. Also: urbaneness, urbanity (elegance; refinement; smooth courtesy). [urbanus, cf. urban; urbanitas, urbanitatis, f. - city life; life in Rome] 

peruse - 1) to read carefully; to examine: I must decline to answer until I have had a chance to peruse the relevant literature. 2) (now) to read hastily and in a leisurely manner. Also: perusable, perusal, peruser. [per (prep. w/ acc.) - through; utor, uti, usus sum - to use] 

usurp - to seize and hold (power, a position, rights) unlawfully and by force: Caesar lead his troops across the Rubicon, forced Pompey to flee, and usurped the supreme command of Italy. Also: usurpation (the unlawful seizure of power, rights, etc. by force), usurpative, usurper. [usurpo, usurpare, usurpavi, usurpatus - to take possession of; to seize wrongfully; usurpatio, usurpationis, f. - a making use of] 

usury - the practice of lending money at an excessively high rate of interest (higher than the maximum rate allowed by law): Throughout Roman times and until the late Middle Ages, all lending of money at interest was considered usury. Also: usurer (one who lends money at an excessively high rate of interest), usurious. [usura, usurae, f. - use of borrowed money; interest for borrowed money] 

utilitarian - 1) having to do with utility (usefulness); 2) stressing, aiming at, or designed for usefulness rather than for other considerations such as beauty: Both engineers and architects design things, but with different ends in mind: the engineer's eye is focused on utility, whereas the architect seeks a balance between the utilitarian and the aesthetic. Also: utilitarianism (the belief that the worth of a thing is determined solely by its usefulness). [utilitas, utilitatis, f. - usefulness] 

uxorial - of, pertaining to, or befitting a wife: Now and then he would try to convince her that ironing his cotton shirts was one of her uxorial duties, but always to no avail. Also: uxorious (excessively fond of or foolishly submissive towards one's wife), uxoriousness. [uxorius, uxoria, uxorium - of a wife; (too) devoted to one’s wife] 

uxoricide - act of killing one's wife: Legally, Henry VIII was not guilty of uxoricide; as king, he could behead wives with impunity. Also: uxoricidal. 

Moutoux, Latin Derivatives