From the initial vowel of human.
-u-
- (pharmacology) a monoclonal antibody derived from a human source.
- -mab is the base suffix common to all monoclonal antibodies. (See that entry for full paradigm.)
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
- IPA(key): /u/
- Rhymes: -u
- Syllabification: u
-u-
- (rare, not productive) used in compound words
- pies + -u- + brat → psubrat
- -u- in Polish dictionaries at PWN
-u-
- it, m class(III)/u class(XI) object concord
Swahili verbal concords (third person)
In almost all words from Old Swedish -u, -o, from the Old Swedish genitive form of Germanic feminine ōn-stems.
Alternates with -o- according to Old Swedish rules of syllable weight, where -o was used after heavy syllables and -u after light.
-u-
- Genitival interfix used to link elements in some compounds.
- Used as interfix in compounds with some old weak feminines with a former light syllable ending in -a. Some common ones are gata (“street”), e.g. gatukontor (“highway department”); lada (“barn”), e.g. ladusvala (“barn swallow”), etc.
- Alternates with a zero interfix (vowel deletion) in some words, cf. gatukontor (“highway department”), but gatlykta (“street lamp”).
- The interfix was formerly mostly confined to the written literary language, whereas the spoken colloquial language preferred compounds with no -u- or with -e- in some dialects, cf. dated stugudörr with modern stugdörr, and the common pronunciation lagård for ladugård (“barn”). However, for some words, -u- is common in compounds even in the modern spoken language.
- Teleman, Ulf; Hellberg, Staffan; Andersson, Erik & Holm, Lisa (1999). Svenska akademiens grammatik 2 Ord. Stockholm: Svenska akad.
- Wessén, Elias (1958). Svensk språkhistoria. 2, Ordbildningslära. 3. ed. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell