Au

pronunciation

How to pronounce Au in British English: UK word uk audio image

How to pronounce Au in American English: US word us audio image

  • Noun:
    a soft yellow malleable ductile (trivalent and univalent) metallic element; occurs mainly as nuggets in rocks and alluvial deposits; does not react with most chemicals but is attacked by chlorine and aqua regia

Word Origin

Au
chemical symbol for "gold," from Latin aurum "gold" (see aureate).
au
French, "at the, to the," from Old French al, contraction of a le, with -l- softened to -u-, as also poudre from pulverem, chaud from calidus, etc. Used in many expressions in cookery, etc., which have crossed the Channel since 18c., such as au contraire, literally "on the contrary;" au gratin, literally "with scrapings;" au jus, literally "with the juice."

Example

1. The au mission to somalia looks even more forlorn .
2. The au and the government now control all of mogadishu .
3. The au is rightly becoming more flexible .
4. In comparison , the earth orbits at just 1 au .
5. The u.s. isn 't sweden , and not just because our blondes aren 't au naturel .

more: >How to Use "au" with Example Sentences