ulcerate
1500
outside the body which may bleed or produce poisonous
matter: a stomach ulcer | mouth ulcers —>ous adj
ul·cer·ate /'ʌlsəreɪt/ v [I,T] to (cause to) turn into or become
covered with one or more ulcers —ation /ˌʌlsə'reɪʃən/ n
[U]
ul·lage /'ʌlɪdʒ/ n [U] tech the amount by which the liquid,
especially wine, in an unopened bottle does not come up to
the top; amount of air in a bottle
Ulls·wa·ter /'ʌlzwɔːtər || -wɔː-, -wɑː-/ one of the lakes in the
LAKE DISTRICT, northwest England
ul·na /'ʌlnə/ n med the inner bone of the lower arm, on the
side opposite to the thumb
Ul·ster /'ʌlstər/ another name for Northern Ireland. The
name Ulster is often used in news reports, and it is also the
name preferred by the mainly Protestant political parties
and groups who want Northern Ireland to remain part of
the UK.
Ulster De'fence Associ,ation the full name of the UDA
Ulster ,Demo'cratic 'Unionist ,Party, the the former
name of the DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY
Ulster 'Unionists, the the members of the Ulster Unionist
Party, a political party in Northern Ireland that is supported
mostly by Protestants and is led by David Trimble. They
believe that Northern Ireland should remain part of the UK.
In the late 1990s the Ulster Unionists took part in peace
discussions with the British government, the government of
the Republic of Ireland, and SINN FÉIN. It was the largest party
in the Northern Ireland Assembly until the Assembly was
SUSPENDED (=stopped until a time in the future that has not
yet been arranged) in 2002 -> compare ULSTER DEMOCRATIC
UNIONIST PARTY
Ulster Volun'teer Force the full name of the UVF
ult /ʌlt/ BrE fml becoming rare (used after a date in business
letters) of last month: the meeting held on the 24th ult
ul·te·ri·or /ʌl'tɪəriər/ adj intentionally hidden or kept secret,
especially because bad: I suspect he may have had ulterior
motives for being so generous.
ul·ti·mate¹ /'ʌltɪmət/ adj [A] 1 being or happening at the
end of a process or course of action; FINAL: They're going to
London first, but their ultimate destination is Rome. | Their
ultimate objective is the removal of all nuclear weap-
ons. 2 considered as an origin or base; FUNDAMENTAL: The
sun is the ultimate source of energy. | The ultimate responsibil-
ity lies with the president. 3 infml greatest; better or worse
than any other: To look for the gas leak with a lighted match
really was the ultimate stupidity. | With a top speed of 200
miles per hour, this is the ultimate sports car.
ultimate² n [the+S(in)] the ULTIMATE thing; the highest point:
the ultimate in stupidity/in luxury
ul·ti·mate·ly /'ʌltɪmətli/ adv in the end; after everything or
everyone else has been taken into account: Ultimately, the
success of the product depends on good marketing. | Many
experts gave their opinions, but ultimately the decision lay
with the president.
ul·ti·ma·tum /ˌʌltɪ'meɪtəm/ n pl. -tums or -ta /-tə/ a last
statement of conditions that must be met, especially under
threat of force: He gave his daughter an ultimatum: unless
she stopped taking drugs he would throw her out of the
house. | to deliver/issue an ultimatum
ultra- -> see WORD FORMATION TABLE
ul·tra·high fre·quen·cy /ˌʌltrəhaɪ 'friːkwənsi/ n [U] ->
see UHF
ul·tra·ma·rine /ˌʌltrəmə'riːn/ adj having a very bright
blue colour —ultramarine n [U]
ul·tra·son·ic /ˌʌltrə'sɒnɪk || -'sɑː-/ adj (of a sound wave)
beyond the range of human hearing
ul·tra·sound /'ʌltrəsaʊnd/ n [U] sound that is too high for
human beings to hear: They examined the baby in her womb
using an ultrasound scanner.
ul·tra·vi·o·let /ˌʌltrə'vaɪələt/ adj 1 (of light that is) beyond
the purple end of the range of colours (SPECTRUM) that can be
seen by human beings: ultraviolet rays -> compare INFRA-
RED 2 [A] using this light to cure certain skin diseases,
examine old writing etc: an ultraviolet lamp
Uluru
U·lu·ru /'uːlʊruː/ a very large red rock in the Northern
Territory, Australia, which is the world's largest MONOLITH
(=block of stone). It was formerly known as Ayers Rock, but
the original Australian Aboriginal name for it, Uluru, is now
preferred. Many tourists visit it because it is a beautiful and
mysterious place, and it changes colour when the sunlight
shines on it.
U·lys·ses /juː'lɪsiːz/ the name for ODYSSEUS in ancient
Roman stories
um /ʌm, əm/ interj (used when one cannot decide what to say
next): And then he ... um ... just seemed to ... um ... disappear.
um·ber /'ʌmbər/ adj having a brown earthlike colour, espe-
cially as used in painting —umber n [U]
um·bil·i·cal cord /ˌʌm'bɪlɪkəl 'kɔːrd||-'kɔːrd/ n the long
narrow tube of flesh which before birth joins the young to
the organ which feeds it inside the mother: The nurse cut the
baby's umbilical cord.
um·brage /'ʌmbrɪdʒ/ n fml take umbrage (at) to show that
one's feelings have been hurt (by); take offence
um·brel·la /ʌm'brelə/ n 1 an arrangement of cloth over a
folding frame with a handle, used for keeping rain off the
head: It began to rain so she put up/opened her umbrella. | an
umbrella stand -> compare SUNSHADE 2 a protecting power
or influence; protection: The new country was formed under
the political umbrella of the United Nations. 3 something
which covers or includes a wide range of different parts: The
Association of Councils is just an umbrella organization; it
has no real power of its own.
UMIST /'juːmɪst/ abbrev. for the University of Manchester
Institute of Science and Technology; a part of the University
of Manchester which teaches science, engineering, electron-
ics, and similar subjects
um·laut /'ʊmlaʊt/ n a sign (¨) placed over a German vowel
letter to show how it is pronounced -> compare DIAERESIS
um·pire¹ /'ʌmpaər/ also ump /ʌmp/ AmE infml -> n a judge in
charge of a game -> see REFEREE (USAGE)
umpire² also ump AmE infml -> v [I,T] to act as an umpire for (a
game or competition)
ump·teen /ˌʌmp'tiːn/ determiner, pron infml a large number
(of): I've seen that film umpteen times. —teenth n, determiner
For the umpteenth time, don't do that!
UMWA /ˌjuː em dʌbəlju 'eɪ/ abbrev. for the United Minework-
ers of America; a TRADE UNION in the US and Canada for
MINERS and other people who work in the MINING industry
'un /ʌn/ pron infml or nonstandard one: He's a bad 'un. (=a wick-
ed/immoral person) | I'll take those apples; they look like good
'uns.
un- -> see WORD FORMATION TABLE
UN, the /ˌjuː 'en/ abbrev. for the United Nations; an interna-
tional organization that almost every country in the world
belongs to. It was started in 1945 to to try to find peaceful
solutions to international problems and to make sure that
countries work together to find peace. Its HEADQUARTERS
(=main offices) are in New York City. Other organizations
that belong to the UN, such as the World Bank and the
World Health Organization, are based in other places. Deci-
sions at the UN are made by the General Assembly and the
Security Council. -> see also UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE
un·a·bashed /ˌʌnə'bæʃt/ adj not ashamed or discouraged