LU
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Luxembourg |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Science & Engineering |
| Also written | Lu |
LU has two meanings. It stands for Luxembourg (country code) or Lutetium (chemical element).
Meanings of LU at a glance
| # | LU stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxembourg | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 2 | Lutetium | Science & Engineering › Chemical Element |
1. Luxembourg
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Grand duchy between Belgium, France and Germany, with Luxembourg City as its capital and LUX as its alpha-3 code. It has one of the highest GDPs per person in the world and in 2020 became the first country to make all public transport free.
Example: Funds domiciled in LU can be marketed across the EU under a single passport.
The vehicle sign is L. The language code lb is Luxembourgish, while lu is Luba-Katanga, a language of the Congo. Luxembourg is a founding member of the EU.
2. Lutetium (Lu)
Science & Engineering · Chemical Element Abbreviations
Last and densest of the lanthanides, lutetium (atomic number 71) is best known for a medical isotope: lutetium-177, attached to targeting molecules, delivers radiation directly to tumors in treatments for neuroendocrine and advanced prostate cancers. Lutetium-hafnium isotope ratios also help geologists date ancient rocks.
Example: Patients typically receive four to six cycles of Lu-177 therapy several weeks apart.
Georges Urbain in Paris, Carl Auer von Welsbach in Austria and Charles James in the United States independently separated lutetium in 1907. Urbain's name, after Lutetia, the Latin name for Paris, won out; in German-speaking countries Auer's name cassiopeium (symbol Cp) was used until the 1950s. Lutetium-based scintillator crystals detect gamma rays in PET scanners.
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