universal
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English
Etymology
From Middle English universal, from Old French universal (modern French universel), from Latin ūniversālis.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsl̩/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˌjunɪˈvɝsl̩/
Audio (US) (file) - Hyphenation: uni‧ver‧sal
- Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)səl
Adjective
universal (comparative more universal, superlative most universal)
- Of or pertaining to the universe.
- Common to all members of a group or class.
- 1911, 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica:
- In Logic, the letter A is used as a symbol for the universal affirmative proposition in the general form "all x is y."
- 1922, Henry Ford, Samuel Crowther, chapter 4, in My Life and Work, Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Company, Inc., →OCLC:
- I had been planning every day through these years toward a universal car.
- Common to all society; worldwide.
- She achieved universal fame.
- a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The Life of John Dryden, Esq.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, , volume I, London: J and R Tonson, , published 1760, →OCLC, page xiii:
- [John] Dryden's univerſal genius, his firmly eſtablished reputation, and the glory his memory muſt always reflect upon the nation that gave him birth, make us ardently wiſh for a more accurate life of him than any which has hitherto appeared: […]
- Unlimited; vast; infinite.
- Useful for many purposes; all-purpose.
- universal wrench
Synonyms
- (common to all members of a group or class): general; see also Thesaurus:generic
- (unlimited): see also Thesaurus:infinite
- (useful for many purposes): general-purpose, multi-purpose
Antonyms
Derived terms
- abstract universal
- last universal ancestor
- Saybolt universal second
- universal algebra
- universal arithmetic
- universal bank
- universal banking
- universal basic income
- universal chuck
- universal credit
- universal design
- universal design for instruction
- universal donor
- universal grammar
- universal grinder
- universal instrument
- universalise, universalize
- universal joint
- universal jurisdiction
- universal language
- universal lever
- universally
- universal masking
- universal mind
- universal morphism
- universal opportunity
- universal packager
- universal product code
- universal property
- universal quantifier
- universal set
- universal shunt
- universal solvent
- universal sorter
- universal suffrage
- universal Turing machine
- universal value
- universal veil
Related terms
Translations
of or pertaining to the universe
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common to all members of a group or class
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common to all society, world-wide
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cosmic, unlimited
useful for many purposes
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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See also
Noun
universal (plural universals)
- (philosophy) A characteristic or property that particular things have in common.
- 1912, Bertrand Russel, The Problems of Philosophy, Chapter 9:
- When we examine common words, we find that, broadly speaking, proper names stand for particulars, while other substantives, adjectives, prepositions, and verbs stand for universals.
- 1970, John R. Searle, Speech acts:
- We might also distinguish those expressions which are used to refer to individuals or particulars from those which are used to refer to what philosophers have called universals: e.g., to distinguish such expressions as "Everest" and "this chair" from "the number three", "the color red" and "drunkenness".
- 2021, Meghan O'Gieblyn, chapter 11, in God, Human, Animal, Machine , →ISBN:
- Empiricism was similarly a response to this loss of universals—a radically contingent world with no underlying order must constantly be studied and tested—and made God himself unnecessary: divine spirit and human spirit were alien enough to each other that they could function without taking each other into account.
See also
Further reading
- “universal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “universal”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- S:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Universals
- The Medieval Problem of Universals - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin ūniversālis. First attested in c. 1400.
Pronunciation
Adjective
universal m or f (masculine and feminine plural universals)
Derived terms
Related terms
References
- ^ “universal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
Further reading
- “universal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “universal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “universal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Crimean Tatar
Adjective
universal
References
Danish
Adjective
universal
- Alternative spelling of universel
Inflection
| Inflection of universal | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative | |
| Indefinte common singular | universal | — | —2 |
| Indefinite neuter singular | universalt | — | —2 |
| Plural | universale | — | —2 |
| Definite attributive1 | universale | — | — |
| 1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. 2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively. | |||
References
Galician
Etymology
From Latin ūniversālis.
Pronunciation
Adjective
universal m or f (plural universais)
- of or pertaining to the universe
- world-wide, universal, common to all cultures
- Synonym: mundial
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “universal” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.
German
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin ūniversālis.
Pronunciation
Adjective
universal (strong nominative masculine singular universaler, comparative universaler, superlative am universalsten)
Declension
Positive forms of universal
Comparative forms of universal
Superlative forms of universal
Further reading
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old French universel, from Latin ūniversālis; equivalent to universe + -al.
Pronunciation
Adjective
universal
- all-encompassing, subject to everything and everyone; having universal significance.
- (Late Middle English) absolute, subject to everything in a given area or subject (e.g. a settlement; a person)
- (Late Middle English) frequently practiced, usual, customary.
- (Late Middle English, rare) Given total leeway and control; with universal power.
- (Late Middle English, rare) unbiased, unprejudiced, nonpolitical
- (Late Middle English, rare) general, non-specific, generic
- (Late Middle English, philosophy, rare) unformed, uncreated, unmade.
- (Late Middle English, philosophy, rare) theoretical, abstract, general.
Derived terms
Descendants
- English: universal
References
- “ūniversā̆l, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-31.
Noun
universal
- (Late Middle English, philosophy, rare) A category, class, or classification.
Descendants
- English: universal
References
- “ūniversā̆l, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-31.
Determiner
universal
- (Late Middle English) The whole, all of, every portion of, all parts of.
- (Late Middle English, rare) Every kind of; all sorts of
References
- “ūniversā̆l, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-31.
Occitan
Etymology
From Latin ūniversālis.
Pronunciation
Audio (Languedocien) (file)
Adjective
universal m (feminine singular universala, masculine plural universals, feminine plural universalas)
Derived terms
Related terms
Old French
Etymology
From Latin ūniversālis.
Adjective
universal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular universale)
Descendants
- French: universel
- → Middle English: universal, universall, unyversal, universalle, universell, uniyversale, universele, universel
- English: universal
Piedmontese
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Adjective
universal
Portuguese
Etymology
From Latin ūniversālis.
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: u‧ni‧ver‧sal
Adjective
universal m or f (plural universais, comparable, comparative mais universal, superlative o mais universal or universalíssimo)
- (relational) universe; universal
- common to all society; universal; world-wide
- common to all members of a group or class; universal
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:universal.
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “universal” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French universel, from Latin universalis. By surface analysis, univers + -al.
Adjective
universal m or n (feminine singular universală, masculine plural universali, feminine and neuter plural universale)
Declension
Declension of universal
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
| nominative/ accusative |
indefinite | universal | universală | universali | universale | ||
| definite | universalul | universala | universalii | universalele | |||
| genitive/ dative |
indefinite | universal | universale | universali | universale | ||
| definite | universalului | universalei | universalilor | universalelor | |||
Related terms
Spanish
Etymology
From Latin ūniversālis.
Pronunciation
Adjective
universal m or f (masculine and feminine plural universales)
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “universal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014