-u

Suffixed definite article attached on nouns ending with k, g (IPA^(key): , ). From the ending Proto-Indo-European *-osyo. cognate to Messapic -aihi.^[1][2][3]

Related to Albanian -i (“of the, etc.”), Albanian i (“of, the, to”).

• IPA^(key):

-u m

1. masculine singular nominative and accusative suffixed definite article: the

   ‎flok (“hair”) + ‎-u → ‎floku (“the hair”)

   ‎treg (“market”) + ‎-u → ‎tregu (“the market”)

   ‎plak (“old man”) + ‎-u → ‎plaku (“the old man”)

   ‎zog (“bird”) + ‎-u → ‎zogu (“the bird”)

   (note: -u shifts towards -i among some Gheg dialects; zogi instead of zogu)

• (suffixed article, suffix): -a, -e, -ë, -i, -o, -ia, -ja, -je, -jë, -at, -et, -ët, -it, -ot, -ut, -të, -ri, -ishte, -ishtja
• (article, preposition): e, i, së, të

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

-u

1. out, outwards; used to modify verb direction

Etymology unclear. Perhaps from the Greek -ou imperative (pronounced ) 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.

-u

1. volitive inflection of verbs, indicating that an action or state is desired, requested, ordered, or aimed for.

   Donu ĝin al mi.

   Give it to me. (expresses a request or command)

   Ni faru tion.

   Let's do that. (expresses a desire or aim)

   Mi iru dormi.

   I ought to go to sleep. (expresses desirability of the action)

   Via infano sukcesu en la vivo.

   May your child be successful in life. (wish or desire)

   Mi volas, ke vi helpu min.

   I want you to help me. (desire)

   Ŝi petas, ke mi silentu.

   She asks that I be silent. (request)

Apparently connected to the u at the end of unu (“one, a certain”).

-u

1. -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”)

   (unofficial) aliu (“another individual, someone else”)

From Proto-Uralic *-w (as applied to stems ending in -e). Cognate with Finnish -u.

-u (genitive -u, partitive -u)

1. Derives nouns from verbs or prefixes

   jagama "to divide" → jagu "a part, a share"

   kaduma "to disappear" → kadu "loss, losing"

   sise- "inside" → sisu "content"

   pesema "to wash" → pesu "wash, washing"

From Proto-Finnic *-u, from Proto-Uralic *-w (as applied to stems ending in -e or -ä). Cognate with Estonian -u.

-u (front vowel harmony variant -y, linguistic notation -U)

1. Forms nouns from verbs. Most common with e- and i-stem verbs.

   ‎hyppiä (“to be jumping”) + ‎-u → ‎hyppy (“jump”)

   ‎itkeä (“to cry”) + ‎-u → ‎itku (“cry(ing)”)

   ‎pestä (“to wash”) + ‎-u → ‎pesu (“wash(ing)”)

   ‎potkia (“to kick”) + ‎-u → ‎potku (“kick”)

   ‎urheilla (“to practice sport”) + ‎-u → ‎urheilu (“sport”)

2. Derives a number of nouns from other nouns.

   ‎silmä (“eye”) + ‎-u → ‎silmu (“bud”)

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

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.

Note that if the stem has gradation, it is (almost always) preserved.

• -o
• -uu

Inherited from Latin -ūtus.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /y/

-u

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

   ‎barbe (“beard”) + ‎-u → ‎barbu (“bearded”)

   ‎ventre (“belly”) + ‎-u → ‎ventru (“pot-bellied, rounded”)

-u

1. Romanization of -𐌿

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• (Nuuk) IPA^(key): /-u/,

-u (n-v^?, truncative^?, uses -j- as interfix^?)

1. be

   ilinniartitsisoq (“teacher”) -> ilinniartitsisiuuvugut (“we are teachers”) .

   Ukiuuvoq.

   It is winter.

   • 1998 May 7, “Tasiilami efterskoleqalernissaa Jakob Sivertsen-ip sulissutigaa”, in Atuagagdliutit / Grønlandsposten:

     Inatsisartunut ilaasortaq Jakob Sivertsen Atassummeersoq ilungersornertuujuvoq.

     MP Jakob Sivertsen, of Atassut, is diligent.

   • 1992, “Meeqqakka”, in Atuagagdliutit/Grønlandsposten:

     Ernerput anguteqatiminoortartunngorsimavoq (19-inik ukioqarluni paasineqarpoq), niviarsiararlu nukarleq arnaqatiminoortartunngorsimalluni. Akulleq pissusissamisoortuuvoq.

     Our son has become gay (it was discovered when he was 19 years old), and the youngest girl has become a lesbian. The middle is as she should be .

May become additive after a strong q base.

• Bjørnum, S.: Grønlandsk Grammatik, p. 275. Atuagkat 2003.
• Vestgrønlands Grammatik, p. 81, F.A.J. Nielsen, 2014
• -u in Katersat

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key):

-u

1. (diminutive suffix) Added to a noun or a proper noun to form a diminutive.

   apa (“father”) → apu (“dad”)

• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

Common vowel found in pronouns in Romance languages: French tu, Italian tu and Spanish tú, also in French vous and as an o in Italian voi and Spanish vos, etc. (Compare tu and vu)

-u

1. suffix used to form pronouns indicating a person

   ‎omna (“all, every”) + ‎-u → ‎omnu (“everyone”)

As it is used to form pronouns, you cannot use it to create nouns. Instead, to form an agent from an adjective like felica (“happy”), you just make it a noun: felico (“a happy person”).

From Proto-Finnic *-u. Cognates include Finnish -u and Estonian -u.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-u/,
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-u/,

-u (front vowel variant -y)

1. Used to form nouns from verbs.

• -ngu (used after double-vowel or long vowel)
• -iu (used after word-final /t/)

-u (Syllabics -ᐅ)

1. to be (copula)

   angunasuktiujuq.

   He is a hunter.

When used on words ending with /k/ or /q/ the affix deletes the final consonant.

-u

1. used to form nouns denoting action or result of action

-ū

1. ablative/locative singular of -us for fourth-declension nouns.

This ending is used for all singular forms in the fourth declension except the genitive singular (which still uses -ūs). This even replaces -uī in the dative singular, something that does not occur in the other declension patterns.

• -h (after a vowel)

From Arabic ـهُ (-hu).

-u

2. 3rd-person masculine singular pronominal suffix: his, him

   Synonym: tiegħu (only in possessive use)

   ‎sħab (“friends”) + ‎-u → ‎sħabu (“his friends”)

   ‎taħt (“under”) + ‎-u → ‎taħtu (“under him”)

   ‎jinsa (“he forgets”) + ‎-u → ‎jinsieh (“he forgets him”)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

-u

1. Used in contractions with particles of possession to mean you

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

From Proto-Samic *-ō. Cognate with Finnish -o.

-u

1. Forms result or action nouns from verbs.

• This suffix triggers the strong grade on a preceding stressed syllable.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

-u

1. Form of the suffix -i used with verbs in -ut.

• This suffix triggers the strongest grade on a preceding stressed syllable.

• -o

• IPA^(key): /u/

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

-u f

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

   ‎eald (“old”) + ‎-u → ‎ieldu (“age”)

   ‎hāliġ (“holy, sacred; pious”) + ‎-u → ‎hāliġu (“holiness”)

   ‎hāl (“sound, healthy, intact”) + ‎-u → ‎hǣlu (“wholeness, health”)

   ‎hāt (“hot”) + ‎-u → ‎hǣtu (“heat, warmth”)

   ‎mennisċ (“human, natural, humane”) + ‎-u → ‎mennisċu (“humanity”)

   ‎miċel (“big, large; great”) + ‎-u → ‎miċelu (“greatness, size”)

According to Ringe and Taylor, this suffix began as indeclinable *-i in the singular and nominative/accusative plural, before the ō-stem feminine nominative singular was borrowed. In Anglian, the new ending was then extended to the rest of these forms. This same extension was not complete in Early West Saxon, but eventually won out in Late West Saxon. Spellings of these forms with -o, and rarely -a, reflect the merger of unstressed back vowels in later Old English

Strong īn-stem:

From Proto-West Germanic *-u, from Proto-Germanic *-ō. Apocope should have caused the loss of this ending after heavy stems, but the Anglian dialects generally retained it by analogy with short stems, or for its morphological significance. In West Saxon, this apocope led to replacement with the subjunctive singular -e, which was then extended to short stem verbs as well.

-u (Anglian)

1. Used to form the first person singular present indicative of strong verbs and class I weak verbs

   ‎beran (“bear”) + ‎-u → ‎beru (“I bear”)

   ‎drīfan (“drive out”) + ‎-u → ‎drīfu (“I drive out”)

   ‎sellan (“give”) + ‎-u → ‎sellu (“I give”)

From Proto-West Germanic *-u, from Proto-Germanic *-ō

-u f

1. Used to form the nominative singular of short ō-stem nouns

   ġiefu (“gift”)

   lufu (“love”)

From Proto-West Germanic *-u, from Proto-Germanic *-uz

-u

1. Used to form the nominative and accusative singular of short u-stem nouns

   sunu (“son”)

   wudu (“forest”)

From Proto-West Germanic *-u, from Proto-Germanic *-ō

-u n

1. Used to form the nominative and accusative plural of short a-stem and all ija-stem neuter nouns

   ‎clif (“cliff”) + ‎-u → ‎clifu (“cliffs”)

   ‎sċip (“ship”) + ‎-u → ‎sċipu (“ships”)

   ‎rīċe (“kingdom”) + ‎-u → ‎rīċu (“kingdoms”)

From Latin -ūtus.

-u

1. suffixed used to form adjectives (oblique masculine singular) from nouns

• boçu
• foillu

• Middle French: -u
  • French: -u

-u

1. Alternative form of -iu (when the preceding consonant (cluster) isn't palatalised)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /-u, -o/

-u

1. Masculine singular agreement suffix

• Henrik Liljegren, Naseem Haider (2011) “-u”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎, Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /-u, -o/

-u

1. Masculine nominative/singular agreement suffix

• Henrik Liljegren, Naseem Haider (2011) “-u”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎, Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /u/
• Rhymes: -u
• Syllabification:
• Homophones: ó, u, u-, -u-

-u

1. (sometimes archaic) forms the masculine dative singular, now used to create adverbs, always used in conjunction with po

   ‎polski + ‎-u → ‎po polsku

2. forms the inanimate masculine genitive singular after soft or historically soft stems

   ‎kowal + ‎-u → ‎kowalu

3. (rare) forms the masculine dative singular in certain words

   ‎chłopiec + ‎-u → ‎chłopcu

4. forms the masculine locative singular

   ‎kowal + ‎-u → ‎kowalu

5. forms the masculine vocative singular

   ‎kowal + ‎-u → ‎kowalu

6. forms the feminine vocative singular after -ś and -ź

   ‎mamusia + ‎-u → ‎mamusiu

7. forms the neuter dative singular in soft and velar stems

   ‎pole + ‎-u → ‎polu

   ‎stoisko + ‎-u → ‎stoisku

8. forms the neuter locative singular in soft and velar stems

   ‎pole + ‎-u → ‎polu

   ‎stoisko + ‎-u → ‎stoisku

• -u in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Accusative suffix.

-u

1. Form of -i after the vowels O / U.

   ‎doktor (“doctor”) + ‎-u → ‎doktoru

Possessive suffix.

-u

1. Form of -i after the vowels O / U.

   ‎pantolon (“pants”) + ‎-u → ‎pantolonu (“his/her pants”)

Derivative suffix.

-u

1. Form of -i after the vowels O / U.
   1. Derives nouns from verbs.

      ‎duy- (“to feel, to sense”) + ‎-u → ‎duyu (“sense”)

From Middle Welsh -u, from Proto-Brythonic *-oβ̃.

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ɨ̞/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /i/

-u

1. Forms verbnouns from verb stems.

   Synonyms: -a, -ed, -eg, -i, -o, -io

This suffix is mostly used where the vowel in the last syllable is a, ae, e, or y.^[1]