*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Ur

Ultimately from Sumerian 𒋀𒀕𒆠 (Urim).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original β†—
In this entry Β· 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry β†—
name

An ancient Sumerian city in Mesopotamia, in modern Iraq; modern Tell el-Muqayyar.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Ultimately from Sumerian 𒋀𒀕𒆠 (Urim).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sux",
        "3": "𒋀𒀕𒆠",
        "tr": "Urim"
      },
      "expansion": "Sumerian 𒋀𒀕𒆠 (Urim)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "𒋀𒀕𒆠",
      "𒋀𒀕𒆠#Sumerian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An ancient Sumerian city in Mesopotamia, in modern Iraq; modern Tell el-Muqayyar."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "9e01f6eb2d1f923f76b192aa76fdf20244b351f2087321ee47384db76d4eec87",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2fc761ba300a4962de2576dfb76a1679dcef416e9efb3f76f39f21ed219f45eb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 334350
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry β†—
name

A hypothetical early supercontinent which may have existed on Earth during the Archaean eon (3.1 billion years ago).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From German Urkontinent (β€œoriginal continent”), taking the morpheme ur- (β€œoriginal”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Urkontinent",
        "4": "",
        "5": "original continent"
      },
      "expansion": "German Urkontinent (β€œoriginal continent”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Urkontinent",
      "Urkontinent#German"
    ],
    [
      "ur-",
      "ur-#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A hypothetical early supercontinent which may have existed on Earth during the Archaean eon (3.1 billion years ago)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "3486cc743a00a169f071fc3f76618aa6c9d9fd1de3d54dbe4407a5419cb06a17",
      "rawRecordSha256": "62109741798d794a59b8b8987848d447cfc7412c37ea5b71437358f4a2547f76",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 334351
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this recordβ€”not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Ur β†’

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 Β· Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography β†—Wiktionary revision history β†—Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-VXI