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HOME | Definition of universal (UNIVERSAL, Universal)


    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.
    [1913 Webster]

    The universal cause
    Acts not by partial, but by general laws. --Pope.
    [1913 Webster]

    This universal frame began. --Dryden.
    [1913 Webster]

    Note: Universal and its derivatives are used in common
    discourse for general and its derivatives. See
    General.
    [1913 Webster]

    2. Constituting or considered as a whole; total; entire;
    whole; as, the universal world. --Shak.
    [1913 Webster]

    At which the universal host up dent
    A shout that tore Hell's concave. --Milton.
    [1913 Webster]

    3. (Mech.) Adapted or adaptable to all or to various uses,
    shapes, sizes, etc.; as, a universal milling machine.
    [1913 Webster]

    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.
    [1913 Webster]

    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.
    [1913 Webster]

    Syn: General; all; whole; total. See General.
    [1913 Webster]

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48


    Universal \U`ni*ver"sal\, n.
    1. The whole; the general system of the universe; the
    universe. [Obs.]
    [1913 Webster]

    Plato calleth God the cause and original, the nature
    and reason, of the universal. --Sir W.
    Raleigh.
    [1913 Webster]

    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.
    [1913 Webster]

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48


    universal
    adj : of worldwide scope or applicability; "an issue of
    cosmopolitan import"; "the shrewdest political and
    ecumenical comment of our time"- Christopher Morley;
    "universal experience" [syn: cosmopolitan, ecumenical,
    oecumenical, general, worldwide]
    n : 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" [syn: universal joint]

    WordNet (r) 2.0


    220 Moby Thesaurus words for "universal":
    Berkeleianism, Geistesgeschichte, Hegelian idea, Hegelianism,
    Kantian idea, Kantianism, Neoplatonism, Platonic form,
    Platonic idea, Platonism, absolute, absolute idealism, accustomed,
    across-the-board, aggregate, all, all-comprehending,
    all-comprehensive, all-covering, all-embracing, all-encompassing,
    all-filling, all-including, all-inclusive, all-out, all-pervading,
    allover, animatism, animism, archetype, average, blanket, born,
    boundless, broad, broad-based, catholic, clean, clear, common,
    commonplace, compendious, complete, complex idea, comprehensive,
    congenital, consummate, conventional, cosmic, cosmogonal,
    cosmogonic, cosmologic, cosmopolitan, countless, country-wide,
    current, customary, deep-dyed, downright, dyed-in-the-wool,
    ecumenic, ecumenical, egregious, encyclopedic, endless, entire,
    epidemic, eternal, eternal object, eternal universal, everyday,
    exemplar, exhaustive, exhaustless, extending everywhere, extensive,
    familiar, form, formal cause, galactic, general, generic, global,
    gross, habitual, heaven-wide, highest category, history of ideas,
    holistic, household, hylozoism, ideal, idealism, ideate, ideatum,
    idee-force, illimitable, illimited, immaterialism, immeasurable,
    immense, incalculable, inclusive, incomprehensible, inexhaustible,
    infinite, infinitely continuous, innate idea, innumerable,
    integral, integrated, intensive, interminable, interminate,
    international, limitless, measureless, metaphysical idealism,
    model, monistic idealism, national, no end of, nondenominational,
    nonsectarian, noosphere, normative, noumenon, omnibus, omnipresent,
    one, one and indivisible, ordinary, out-and-out, outright,
    over-all, pandemic, panoramic, panpsychism, pattern, percept,
    perfect, perpetual, personalism, pervasive, plain, planetary,
    plumb, popular, predominating, prescriptive, prevailing, prevalent,
    prototype, psychism, pure, radical, regular, regulation,
    regulative first principle, sheer, shoreless, simple idea,
    solipsism, spiritualism, standard, stock, straight, subjectivism,
    subsistent form, sumless, sweeping, synoptic, termless,
    the Absolute, the Absolute Idea, the Self-determined,
    the realized ideal, thorough, thoroughgoing, through-and-through,
    total, transcendent idea, transcendent nonempirical concept,
    transcendent universal, transcendental, ubiquitous, unbounded,
    uncircumscribed, unconditional, unfathomable, universal concept,
    universal essence, unlimited, unmeasurable, unmeasured,
    unmitigated, unnumbered, unplumbed, unqualified, unreserved,
    unrestricted, untold, usual, utter, veritable, vernacular, whole,
    wholesale, wide-ranging, widespread, without bound, without end,
    without exception, without limit, without measure, without number,
    without omission, wonted, world-wide, worldwide

    Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0


    Universal, IN (town, FIPS 77912)
    Location: 39.62160 N, 87.45302 W
    Population (1990): 392 (179 housing units)
    Area: 0.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

    U.S. Gazetteer (1990)


    Universal, IN -- U.S. town in Indiana
    Population (2000): 419
    Housing Units (2000): 207
    Land area (2000): 0.283589 sq. miles (0.734493 sq. km)
    Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
    Total area (2000): 0.283589 sq. miles (0.734493 sq. km)
    FIPS code: 77912
    Located within: Indiana (IN), FIPS 18
    Location: 39.621636 N, 87.453043 W
    ZIP Codes (1990):
    Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
    Headwords:
    Universal, IN
    Universal

    U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)


cosmopolitan, ecumenical, general, oecumenical, universal joint, worldwide


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