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Ur- is a German prefix meaning "prot(o)-", "first", "oldest", "original" when used with a noun. In combination with an adjective, it can be translated as the intensifier "very".
Examples
Note that not all German nouns starting with Ur- follow this pattern, for instance, Urlaub (vacation, holiday), Urteil (verdict), or Urin (urine) have different etymologies and altogether different meanings.
There is also an adjective uralt ("very old") that has existed for a long time. Recently, however, the prefix ur- has been used productively, especially by young speakers, to create countless neologisms. New words include the colloquialisms urfad ("very boring") and urgeil and urcool (both meaning "super", "very nice").
It is also used with names for relatives where great is used in English, e.g. Urgroßmutter ("Great Grandmother") and Urenkel ("Great Grandson"). As in English, this is repeated for want of a better term for the next generation back or forward: Ururgroßvater ("Great Great Grandfather").
See also
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