Universal definition | Dictionary.com

u⋅ni⋅ver⋅sal

[yoo-nuh-vur-suh

–adjective

1.	of, pertaining to, or characteristic of all or the whole: universal experience.

2.	applicable everywhere or in all cases; general: a universal cure.

3.	affecting, concerning, or involving all: universal military service.

4.	used or understood by all: a universal language.

5.	present everywhere: the universal calm of southern seas.

6.	versed in or embracing many or all skills, branches of learning, etc.: Leonardo da Vinci was a universal genius.

7.	of or pertaining to the universe, all nature, or all existing things: universal cause.

8.	characterizing all or most members of a class; generic.

9.	Logic. (of a proposition) asserted of every member of a class.

10.	Linguistics. found in all languages or belonging to the human language faculty.

11.	Machinery. noting any of various machines, tools, or devices widely adaptable in position, range of use, etc.

12.

Metalworking.

a.	(of metal plates and shapes) rolled in a universal mill.

b.	(of a rolling mill or rolling method) having or employing vertical edging rolls.

–noun

13.	something that may be applied throughout the universe to many things, usually thought of as an entity that can be in many places at the same time.

14.	a trait, characteristic, or property, as distinguished from a particular individual or event, that can be possessed in common, as the care of a mother for her young.

15.	Logic. a universal proposition.

16.

Philosophy.

a.	a general term or concept or the generic nature that such a term signifies; a Platonic idea or Aristotelian form.

b.	an entity that remains unchanged in character in a series of changes or changing relations.

c.	Hegelianism. concrete universal.

17.	language universal.

18.	Machinery. universal joint.

Origin:
1325–75; ME universel (adj.) < MF < L ūniversālis. See universe, -al ¹

Related forms:

u⋅ni⋅ver⋅sal⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
5. See general.

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universal joint

–noun Machinery.

a coupling between rotating shafts set at an angle to one another, allowing for rotation in three planes.

Also called universal, universal coupling.

Origin:
1670–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To Universal

u·ni·ver·sal (yōō'nə-vûr'səl)

adj.

Of, relating to, extending to, or affecting the entire world or all within the world; worldwide: "This discovery of literature has as yet only partially penetrated the universal consciousness" (Ellen Key).
Including, relating to, or affecting all members of the class or group under consideration: the universal skepticism of philosophers. See Synonyms at general.
Applicable or common to all purposes, conditions, or situations: a universal remedy.
Of or relating to the universe or cosmos; cosmic.
Knowledgeable about or constituting all or many subjects; comprehensively broad.
Adapted or adjustable to many sizes or mechanical uses.
Logic Encompassing all of the members of a class or group. Used of a proposition.

Logic
1. A universal proposition.
2. A general or abstract concept or term considered absolute or axiomatic.
A general or widely held principle, concept, or notion.
A trait or pattern of behavior characteristic of all the members of a particular culture or of all humans.

u'ni·ver'sal·ly adv., u'ni·ver'sal·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Universal

U`ni*ver"sal\, a. [L. universalis: cf. F. universel, OF. also universal. See Universe.]

1. Of or pertaining to the universe; extending to, including, or affecting, the whole number, quantity, or space; unlimited; general; all-reaching; all-pervading; as, universal ruin; universal good; universal benevolence or benefice. "Anointed universal King." --Milton.

The universal cause Acts not by partial, but by general laws. --Pope.

This universal frame began. --Dryden.

Note: Universal and its derivatives are used in common discourse for general and its derivatives. See General.

2. Constituting or considered as a whole; total; entire; whole; as, the universal world. --Shak.

At which the universal host up dent A shout that tore Hell's concave. --Milton.

3. (Mech.) Adapted or adaptable to all or to various uses, shapes, sizes, etc.; as, a universal milling machine.

4. (Logic) Forming the whole of a genus; relatively unlimited in extension; affirmed or denied of the whole of a subject; as, a universal proposition; -- opposed to particular; e. g. (universal affirmative) All men are animals; (universal negative) No men are omniscient.

Universal chuck (Mach.), a chuck, as for a lathe, having jaws which can be moved simultaneously so as to grasp objects of various sizes.

Universal church, the whole church of God in the world; the catholic church. See the Note under Catholic, a., 1.

Universal coupling. (Mach.) Same as Universal joint, below.

Universal dial, a dial by which the hour may be found in any part of the world, or under any elevation of the pole.

Universal instrument (Astron.), a species of altitude and azimuth instrument, the peculiarity of which is, that the object end of the telescope is placed at right angles to the eye end, with a prism of total reflection at the angle, and the eye end constitutes a portion of the horizontal axis of the instrument, having the eyepiece at the pivot and in the center of the altitude circle, so that the eye has convenient access to both at the same time.

Universal joint (Mach.), a contrivance used for joining two shafts or parts of a machine endwise, so that the one may give rotary motion to the other when forming an angle with it, or may move freely in all directions with respect to the other, as by means of a cross connecting the forked ends of the two shafts (Fig. 1). Since this joint can not act when the angle of the shafts is less than 140[deg], a double joint of the same kind is sometimes used for giving rotary motion at angles less than 140[deg] (Fig. 2).

Universal umbel (Bot.), a primary or general umbel; the first or largest set of rays in a compound umbel; -- opposed to partial umbel. A universal involucre is not unfrequently placed at the foot of a universal umbel.

Syn: General; all; whole; total. See General.

Universal

U`ni*ver"sal\, n. 1. The whole; the general system of the universe; the universe. [Obs.]

Plato calleth God the cause and original, the nature and reason, of the universal. --Sir W. Raleigh.

2. (Logic) (a) A general abstract conception, so called from being universally applicable to, or predicable of, each individual or species contained under it. (b) A universal proposition. See Universal, a., 4.

Language Translation for : Universal

Spanish: universal,

German: global,

Japanese: 普遍的な

More Translations »

universal

c.1374, from O.Fr. universel (12c.), from L. universalis "of or belonging to all," from universus "all together, whole, entire" (see universe). In mechanics, a universal joint (1676) is one which allows free movement in any direction; in theology universalism (1805) is the doctrine of universal salvation (universalist in this sense is attested from 1626). Universal product code is recorded from 1974.

Main Entry: uni·ver·sal
Pronunciation: "yü-n&-'v&r-s&l
Function: adjective
1 in the civil law of Louisiana a : encompassing or burdening all of one's property esp. causa mortis universal usufruct> —see also universal legacy at LEGACY —compare universal title at TITLE b : of or relating to a universal conveyance or a conveyance under a universal title universal donee> —see also UNIVERSAL SUCCESSOR
2 : not confined by limitations or exceptions : general in application —uni·ver·sal·ly adverb

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