Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

"Ur" is a German prefix meaning "old", "original", "predecessor".

So Ur-Lisp would be the old original Lisp that is predecessor to all other Lisps.

Other examples include Urrind (Rind == Bovine) which would be the predecessor of all species of bovine. Urzeit (Zeit == time), which is a generic very ancient time period before all humans (where the Urrind or even the dinosaurs might have lived). Ur-Computer might be one of the first computers, like the original Zuse or ENIAC.




My favorite example Ursuppe == primordial soup.


Also a fantastic indie boardgame - also available in English.


Bonus example: Urgroßvater -> great-grandfather. You can add as many Ur-s as you wish.


In addition to predecessor it could also mean "archetypal."

Goethe believed he had seen the Urpflanze, or plant-archetype, while traveling in Italy.


Uradel -- people whose families have been noble for a very long time.

Briefadel -- people whose families were ennobled in modern times.

Edit: "modern times" in this context is "since the 14th century".


Another good example: the real-but-extinct animal aurochs = "ur-ox."




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: