Omni

Part of speech: adjective, prefix

Definitions

1. Relating to all things or every aspect without exception
2. encompassing every kind or variety, indicating inclusivity and totality
3. indicating a comprehensive quality or characteristic that applies universally in scope

Etymology: "Omni" is a combining form that has become a free-standing word in its own right, and it got there by shortening longer words rather than by being borrowed as a unit. Its two main sources in modern English are "omnivore" and "omnidirectional," so the prefix's meaning of "all" comes from those compounds, which were themselves built from the Latin "omnis," meaning "all" or "every." The "omni" in "omnivore" comes from Latin "omnis," and "-vore" comes from Latin "vorare," "to devour." An omnivore is an animal that eats everything, and the clipped form "omni" came to carry that sense of comprehensiveness outward. Once speakers had the element detached, it could attach to new words: "omnidirectional," which describes something working in every direction, gave it a sense of "all directions," and English speakers have since used "omni" to mean "all-inclusive" in a range of contexts.

Synonyms: all, universal, every, total, whole

Antonyms: partial, limited, exclusive, specific