Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • European Union: An international political and economic organization of European member states, originally established to foster economic cooperation and integration, promote peace, and enhance political stability in Europe.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • The EU has implemented new regulations on data privacy.
  • Several countries are seeking membership in the EU.
  • Trade agreements between the EU and other nations are complex.

Advanced Usage

• "EU-wide": Referring to something that applies across all member states of the European Union.
  • The directive calls for an EU-wide standard for product safety.

Variants and Related Words

• European Union: The full, formal name of the EU.
• Eurozone: The monetary union of EU member states that have adopted the euro as their currency. (Note: This is a related but distinct term from the EU itself).
• Brexit: The term for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.

Synonyms

• European Community (historical): A former name for one of the precursor organizations to the EU.
• Common Market (historical/colloquial): An informal term formerly used for the European economic community.

Important Note on the Chemical Element Definition

The provided reference context includes a second, entirely different definition: "a bivalent and trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group." This refers to the chemical element Europium (symbol Eu). It is critical to understand that this is a homograph—a word with the same spelling but a completely different meaning and context.

For the chemical element "Eu" (Europium), the definition would be: - Noun: A soft, silvery-white metallic element of the lanthanide series, used in phosphors in television screens and fluorescent lamps.

These two meanings (the political union and the chemical element) are unrelated and must be treated as separate entries in a comprehensive dictionary. The primary and most common usage of the uppercase "EU" is for the European Union.

Noun

1. an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members
   • he tried to take Britain into the Europen Union
2. a bivalent and trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group