Ur

Part of speech: determiner, pronoun

Definitions

1. An ancient Mesopotamian city in southern Iraq, home to a famous ziggurat ; a brief vocal sound people make while pausing to think of what to say
2. A major Sumerian city in southern Mesopotamia, known for its ziggurat ; a short hesitant noise uttered while searching for the next word
3. The name of a historic Sumerian city of southern Iraq ; a wordless murmur expressing uncertainty or hesitation during speech

Etymology: Ultimately, this form goes back to Urim, the Sumerian name of a city in what is now southern Iraq, written 𒋀𒀕𒆠. The city is better known today as Ur, and its name is the root of the form. The element used in English as a prefix comes from German, where "ur-" means "original" or "primitive." German's Urkontinent, "original continent," shows the pattern, the idea of a first or earliest landmass from which later forms developed.

Synonyms: um, uh, er