UA
Abbreviation with 9 meanings
| Stands for | Urinalysis |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 9 |
| Categories | Medical, Transportation & Travel, Geography & Places, Technology & Computing, Education & Academia, Military |
UA has nine meanings. The most common are Urinalysis (laboratory test) and United Airlines (airline code); it can also stand for Unstable angina, Ukraine, User agent, University of Alabama and University of Arizona, plus 2 more listed below.
Meanings of UA at a glance
| # | UA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urinalysis | Medical › Laboratory Test |
| 2 | United Airlines | Transportation & Travel › Airline Code |
| 3 | Unstable angina | Medical › Cardiology |
| 4 | Ukraine | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 5 | User agent | Technology & Computing › Internet & Web |
| 6 | University of Alabama | Education & Academia › University |
| 7 | University of Arizona | Education & Academia › University |
| 8 | Unauthorized absence | Military › Military Term |
| 9 | University of Arkansas | Education & Academia › University |
1. Urinalysis
Medical · Laboratory Test Abbreviations
Examination of a urine sample in three parts: physical appearance (color, clarity), a chemical dipstick (pH, specific gravity, protein, glucose, ketones, blood, bilirubin, urobilinogen, nitrite and leukocyte esterase) and microscopy for cells, casts, crystals and bacteria. It screens for urinary tract infection, kidney disease, diabetes and liver problems.
Example: UA: nitrite positive, large leukocyte esterase, 50+ WBC/hpf; urine culture sent.
A clean-catch midstream sample should be examined within about two hours or refrigerated, because bacteria multiply and cells break down at room temperature. Many hospitals order "UA with reflex to culture", which sends a culture only if the screen is abnormal. In cardiology notes, UA can instead mean unstable angina, so context matters.
2. United Airlines
Transportation & Travel · Airline Code Abbreviations
Chicago-headquartered US airline with hubs at Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Houston, Newark, San Francisco, Washington Dulles, Los Angeles and Guam, operating one of the largest international networks of any carrier. United co-founded Star Alliance in 1997.
Example: Your connecting flight is UA 857 from San Francisco to Shanghai, departing gate G98.
ICAO code UAL; callsign "United." Formed from aviation businesses gathered by Boeing in the late 1920s, it merged with Continental Airlines in 2010, keeping the United name and Continental's globe logo. Its MileagePlus program is one of the largest frequent-flyer programs.
3. Unstable angina
Medical · Cardiology Abbreviations
Chest pain from coronary ischemia that is new, occurs at rest or is worsening in frequency or severity, without troponin evidence of heart muscle death. It belongs to the acute coronary syndrome spectrum and signals a high short-term risk of heart attack.
Example: Crescendo exertional chest pain over 3 days, troponins negative x2: UA, admitted for angiography.
High-sensitivity troponin assays now detect tiny amounts of injury, so many cases once called unstable angina are reclassified as NSTEMI and true UA has become less common. Stable angina, by contrast, follows a predictable pattern with exertion and eases with rest or nitroglycerin. In laboratory medicine UA almost always means urinalysis, and occasionally uric acid.
4. Ukraine
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Ukraine, capital Kyiv, alpha-3 UKR, is Europe's second-largest country by area. The hryvnia trades as UAH, and websites use .ua and the Cyrillic .укр.
Example: Donations sent to UA charities surged after the 2022 invasion.
The language code for Ukrainian is uk, which developers often confuse with the United Kingdom. AP adopted the spelling Kyiv in 2019. Ukraine became an EU candidate country in 2022.
5. User agent
Technology & Computing · Internet & Web Abbreviations
Software acting on a user's behalf on the web, most often a browser. Each request carries a User-Agent header describing the browser, rendering engine and operating system, which sites use for analytics, compatibility fixes and bot detection.
Example: Block requests whose UA string contains "python-requests" from the signup endpoint.
User-agent strings are cluttered with historical tokens, so nearly every browser still begins with "Mozilla/5.0" for compatibility. Chrome began reducing the detail in its string in 2022 to limit fingerprinting, encouraging User-Agent Client Hints instead. In aviation UA is the airline code of United Airlines.
6. University of Alabama
Education & Academia · University Abbreviations
Alabama's flagship public university in Tuscaloosa, founded in 1831, whose Crimson Tide football program has won more national championships than almost any other. It competes in the SEC.
Example: Her UA scholarship covered tuition for all four years.
In 1963 Governor George Wallace stood in the doorway of Foster Auditorium in an attempt to block the enrollment of two Black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood. Coach Nick Saban won six national titles at Alabama. UA also refers to the University of Arizona and the University of Arkansas.
7. University of Arizona
Education & Academia · University Abbreviations
Arizona's land-grant university, founded in Tucson in 1885 and a leader in astronomy and space science; its Steward Observatory makes mirrors for major telescopes, and it led NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample mission. The Wildcats joined the Big 12 in 2024.
Example: UA researchers built the cameras on several NASA Mars missions.
The university now brands itself "University of Arizona" or "UArizona". UA also abbreviates the University of Alabama and the University of Arkansas, and the University of Akron uses it in Ohio. The Arizona-ASU rivalry trophy is the Territorial Cup.
8. Unauthorized absence
Military · Military Term Abbreviations
Navy and Marine Corps term for being absent from one's unit, ship or place of duty without permission, the sea services' equivalent of the Army and Air Force term AWOL. It falls under Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Example: Seaman Lee was declared UA when he failed to return before the ship got underway.
A sailor who misses the ship's departure through neglect may also be charged with "missing movement" under Article 87, a separate and more serious offense. A person in this status is called an unauthorized absentee. UA also abbreviates United Airlines and user agent in other fields.
9. University of Arkansas
Education & Academia · University Abbreviations
Arkansas's flagship public university in Fayetteville, founded in 1871. Its Razorbacks compete in the SEC, and fans call the hogs with the cheer "Woo Pig Sooie".
Example: He studied supply chain management at UA, close to Walmart's headquarters.
The university often writes "U of A". The Walton family, founders of Walmart, have given major gifts to its business and honors programs. UA also refers to the Universities of Alabama and Arizona.
Related abbreviations
More laboratory test abbreviations
- TSAT – Transferrin saturation
- TSH – Thyroid-stimulating hormone
- TT – Thrombin time
- U&E – Urea and electrolytes
- UACR – Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio
- UCx – Urine culture
- UDS – Urine drug screen
- UPT – Urine pregnancy test
See all 135 laboratory test abbreviations →
More airline code abbreviations
- TG – Thai Airways International
- TK – Turkish Airlines
- TP – TAP Air Portugal
- U2 – easyJet
- VS – Virgin Atlantic
- W6 – Wizz Air
- WN – Southwest Airlines
- WS – WestJet
See all 60 airline code abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.