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Definition of ultra - 5 dictionary results

ul⋅tra

[uhl-truh]
–adjective
1. going beyond what is usual or ordinary; excessive; extreme.
–noun
2. an extremist, as in politics, religion, fashion, etc.
3. (initial capital letter) Military. the British code name for intelligence gathered by decrypting German wireless communications enciphered on the Enigma machine during World War II.

Origin:
independent use of ultra-, or shortening of words prefixed with it

ultra-

a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, with the basic meaning “on the far side of, beyond.” In relation to the base to which it is prefixed, ultra- has the senses “located beyond, on the far side of” (ultramontane; ultraviolet), “carrying to the furthest degree possible, on the fringe of” (ultraleft; ultramodern), “extremely” (ultralight); nouns to which it is added denote, in general, objects, properties, phenomena, etc., that surpass customary norms, or instruments designed to produce or deal with such things (ultramicroscope; ultrasound; ultrastructure).

Origin:
< L ultrā (adv. and prep.) on the far side (of), beyond, deriv. of *ult(e)r- located beyond
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ul·tra   (ŭl'trə)   
adj.  Immoderately adhering to a belief, fashion, or course of action; extreme.
n.  An extremist.

[French, from Latin ultrā-, ultra-.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

ultra- 
prefix meaning "beyond" (ultraviolet) or "extremely" (ultramodern), from L. ultra- from ultra (adv. and prep.) "beyond, on the further side," from PIE *al- "beyond." In common use from early 19c., it appears to have arisen from Fr. political designations. As its own word, a noun meaning "extremist" of various stripes, it is first recorded 1817, from Fr. ultra, shortening of ultra-royaliste "extreme royalist."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

ultra- pref.

  1. Beyond; on the other side of: ultraviolet.

  2. Beyond the range, scope, or limit of: ultrasonic.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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