English edit

 
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Etymology edit

From Middle English universal, from Old French universal (modern French universel), from Latin ūniversālis.

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

universal (comparative more universal, superlative most universal)

  1. Of or pertaining to the universe.
  2. 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.
  3. 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[acob] and R[ichard] 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: []
  4. Unlimited; vast; infinite.
  5. Useful for many purposes; all-purpose.
    universal wrench

Synonyms edit

Antonyms edit

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Translations edit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also edit

Noun edit

universal (plural universals)

  1. (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[1]:
      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 edit

Further reading edit

Catalan edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin ūniversālis. First attested in c. 1400.[1]

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

universal m or f (masculine and feminine plural universals)

  1. universal

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Related terms edit

References edit

  1. ^ universal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024

Further reading edit

Galician edit

Etymology edit

From Latin ūniversālis.

Pronunciation edit

  This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Adjective edit

universal m or f (plural universais)

  1. of or pertaining to the universe
  2. world-wide, universal, common to all cultures
    Synonym: mundial

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Further reading edit

German edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin ūniversālis.

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

universal (strong nominative masculine singular universaler, comparative universaler, superlative am universalsten)

  1. universal

Declension edit

Further reading edit

  • universal” in Duden online
  • universal” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Middle English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Old French universel, from Latin ūniversālis; equivalent to universe +‎ -al.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /iu̯niˈvɛrsal/, /iu̯nivɛrˈsaːl/, /iu̯niˈvɛrsɛl/

Adjective edit

universal

  1. all-encompassing, subject to everything and everyone; having universal significance.
  2. (Late Middle English) absolute, subject to everything in a given area or subject (e.g. a settlement; a person)
  3. (Late Middle English) frequently practiced, usual, customary.
  4. (Late Middle English, rare) Given total leeway and control; with universal power.
  5. (Late Middle English, rare) unbiased, unprejudiced, nonpolitical
  6. (Late Middle English, rare) general, non-specific, generic
  7. (Late Middle English, philosophy, rare) unformed, uncreated, unmade.
  8. (Late Middle English, philosophy, rare) theoretical, abstract, general.

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • English: universal

References edit

Noun edit

universal

  1. (Late Middle English, philosophy, rare) A category, class, or classification.

Descendants edit

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Determiner edit

universal

  1. (Late Middle English) The whole, all of, every portion of, all parts of.
  2. (Late Middle English, rare) Every kind of; all sorts of

References edit

Occitan edit

Etymology edit

From Latin ūniversālis.

Pronunciation edit

  • (file)

Adjective edit

universal m (feminine singular universala, masculine plural universals, feminine plural universalas)

  1. universal

Derived terms edit

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Old French edit

Etymology edit

From Latin ūniversālis.

Adjective edit

universal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular universale)

  1. universal

Descendants edit

Piedmontese edit

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

universal

  1. universal

Portuguese edit

Etymology edit

From Latin ūniversālis.

Pronunciation edit

 
 

  • Hyphenation: u‧ni‧ver‧sal

Adjective edit

universal m or f (plural universais, comparable, comparative mais universal, superlative o mais universal or universalíssimo)

  1. (relational) universe; universal
  2. common to all society; universal; world-wide
  3. common to all members of a group or class; universal

Quotations edit

For quotations using this term, see Citations:universal.

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

  • universal” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French universel, from Latin universalis. By surface analysis, univers +‎ -al.

Adjective edit

universal m or n (feminine singular universală, masculine plural universali, feminine and neuter plural universale)

  1. universal

Declension edit

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Spanish edit

Etymology edit

From Latin ūniversālis.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /unibeɾˈsal/ [u.ni.β̞eɾˈsal]
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Syllabification: u‧ni‧ver‧sal

Adjective edit

universal m or f (masculine and feminine plural universales)

  1. universal

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

Anagrams edit