# universal
## English
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsl̩/
* (General American) IPA: /ˌjunəˈvɜɹs(ə)l/
* Audio (General American):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)səl
* Hyphenation: uni‧vers‧al

### 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.
** 1955 January, Charles E. Lee, “The Glasgow Underground Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 24:Eventually, the railway opened on Monday, December 14, 1896, with a universal fare of 1d. collected at the turnstiles, and conditions were immediately chaotic, as many passengers travelled round and round, and refused to leave the cars.
* 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: […]
* 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

* nonuniversal

#### Derived terms

* abstract universal
* inter-universal Teichmüller theory
* 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

* universe
* university
* universality

#### Translations

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

#### See also

* general
* global

### 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.

#### Translations
### Further reading

* “universal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “universal”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →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

* IPA: (Central) [u.ni.βərˈsal]
* IPA: (Balearic) [u.ni.vərˈsal]
* IPA: (Valencia) [u.ni.veɾˈsal]

### Adjective

universal m or f (masculine and feminine plural universals)
* universal

#### Derived terms

* universalment

#### Related terms

* univers
* universalitat

### References

* ↑ “universal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025

### 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
* universal

### References

* “universal”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)

## Danish
### Adjective

universal
* Alternative spelling of universel

#### Inflection

$^1$ 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

* “universal” in Den Danske Ordbog

## Galician
### Etymology

From Latin ūniversālis.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /unibeɾˈsal/ [u.ni.β̞eɾˈs̺ɑɫ]
* Rhymes: -al
* Hyphenation: u‧ni‧ver‧sal

### Adjective

universal m or f (plural universais)
* of or pertaining to the universe
* world-wide, universal, common to all cultures
    Synonym: mundial

#### Derived terms

* universalmente

#### Related terms

* universalidade
* universo

### Further reading

* “universal”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
* “universal” in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (2014).

## German
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ūniversālis.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /univɛʁˈzaːl/
* Rhymes: -aːl
* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

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

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “universal” in Duden online
* “universal” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

## Indonesian
### Etymology

Internationalism, from Latin ūniversālis.

### Pronunciation

* (Standard Indonesian) IPA: /uˈnivərsal/ [uˈni.fər.sal]
* Rhymes: -ivərsal
* Syllabification: u‧ni‧ver‧sal

### Adjective

universal
* universal:
** of or pertaining to the universe
** common to all members of a group or class
    Synonym: umum
** common to all society; worldwide
** unlimited; vast; infinite
** useful for many purposes; all-purpose

### Noun

universal (plural universal-universal)
* universal

### Derived terms

* diuniversalkan
* keuniversalan
* menguniversalkan

### Further reading

* “universal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* universall, unyversal, universalle, universell, uniyversale, universele, universel

### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /iu̯niˈvɛrsal/, /iu̯nivɛrˈsaːl/, /iu̯niˈvɛrsɛl/

### 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

* universalite
* universally

#### 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 (Languedoc):(file)

### Adjective

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

#### Derived terms

* universalament

#### Related terms

* univèrs
* universalitat

## Old French
### Etymology

From Latin ūniversālis.

### Adjective

universal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular universale)
* universal

#### Descendants

* French: universel
* → Middle English: universal, universall, unyversal, universalle, universell, uniyversale, universele, universel
** English: universal

## Piedmontese
### Alternative forms

* üniversal

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ynivɛrˈsal/

### Adjective

universal
* universal

## Portuguese
### Etymology

From Latin ūniversālis.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /u.ni.veʁˈsaw/ [u.ni.vehˈsaʊ̯]
* (Brazil) IPA: /u.ni.veʁˈsaw/ [u.ni.vehˈsaʊ̯]
** (São Paulo) IPA: /u.ni.veɾˈsaw/ [u.ni.veɾˈsaʊ̯]
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /u.ni.veʁˈsaw/ [u.ni.veχˈsaʊ̯]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /u.ni.veɻˈsaw/ [u.ni.veɻˈsaʊ̯]
* (Portugal) IPA: /u.ni.vɨɾˈsal/ [u.ni.vɨɾˈsaɫ]
* (Portugal) IPA: /u.ni.vɨɾˈsal/ [u.ni.vɨɾˈsaɫ]
** (Northern Portugal) IPA: /u.ni.bɨɾˈsal/ [u.ni.βɨɾˈsaɫ]
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /u.ni.vɨɾˈsa.li/
* 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
** 1999, Os pecados da língua: pequeno repertório de grandes erros de linguagem, Editora AGE Ltda., →ISBN, page 114:Símbolos ☞ Não se usa o ponto indicativo de abreviação: km, m l, kg. ☞ Têm formas iguais para singular e plural. ☞ São de uso universal e irrestrito.(please add an English translation of this quotation)

#### Derived terms

* universalmente

#### Related terms

* universalidade
* universo

### 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)
* universal

#### Related terms

* universalitate

## Spanish
### Etymology

From Latin ūniversālis.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /unibeɾˈsal/ [u.ni.β̞eɾˈsal]
* Rhymes: -al
* Syllabification: u‧ni‧ver‧sal

### Adjective

universal m or f (masculine and feminine plural universales)
* universal

#### Derived terms

* alicates universales
* historia universal
* ley universal
* sufragio universal
* universalizar
* universalmente

#### Related terms

* universalidad
* universo

### Further reading

* “universal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

### Anagrams

* vulneráis