AU
|AU|
B2
/eɪ juː/
distance unit; gold
Etymology
Etymology Information
'AU' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'Aurum', where 'Aurum' meant 'gold'.
Historical Evolution
'Aurum' transformed into the modern English symbol 'AU' used in chemistry.
Meaning Changes
Initially, it meant 'gold', and this meaning has remained the same in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
astronomical Unit, a unit of length used in astronomy, approximately equal to the mean distance from the Earth to the Sun.
The distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 1 AU.
Synonyms
Noun 2
gold, from the Latin word 'Aurum', used in chemistry as a symbol for the element gold.
The chemical symbol for gold is AU.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/01/16 15:22