Link Centre Dictionary

universal

uni·ver·sal

UK/ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsl̩/ US/ˌjunəˈvɜɹs(ə)l/ fairly common
adjective (1) noun (1)

adjective

1.

of worldwide scope or applicability

  • “an issue of cosmopolitan import”
  • “the shrewdest political and ecumenical comment of our time” Christopher Morley
  • “universal experience”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.

coupling that connects two rotating shafts allowing freedom of movement in all directions

  • “in motor vehicles a universal joint allows the driveshaft to move up and down as the vehicle passes over bumps”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English universal, from Old French universal (modern French universel), from Latin ūniversālis, equivalent to universe + -al.

Phrases

  • abstract universal
  • inter-universal Teichmüller theory
  • last universal ancestor
  • last universal common ancestor
  • Saybolt universal second
  • universal algebra
  • universal arithmetic
  • universal bank

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.