UN

Multiple Entries:
  UN    'un    un-  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
UN/juːˈen/

▶abbreviation United Nations.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
'un/ən/

▶contraction informal one.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
un-1

▶prefix

• 1 (added to adjectives, participles, and their derivatives) denoting the absence of a quality or state; not: unacademic.

  ■ the reverse of: unselfish.

• 2 (added to nouns) a lack of: untruth.

– origin OE, of Gmc origin.

usage: The prefixes un- and non- both mean ‘not’, but there is often a distinction in terms of emphasis. Un- tends to be stronger and often suggests a particular bias or standpoint, while non- is often more neutral. For example, unnatural means that something is not natural in a negative way, whereas non-natural simply means ‘not natural’.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
un-2

▶prefix added to verbs.

• 1 denoting the reversal or cancellation of an action or state: unsettle.

• 2 denoting deprivation, separation, or reduction to a lesser state: unmask.

  ■ denoting release: unhand.

– origin OE un-, on-, of Gmc origin.