Universalis

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterizing a principle or idea that is applicable to everyone or everything, transcending individual cases or specific contexts
2. Relating to a concept that is comprehensive and covers all aspects, embodying universality in its scope or application
3. Describing a quality or characteristic that is inherently common or shared among all members of a group or category

Etymology: "Universalis" is the Latin adjective meaning "of the whole" or "general," built from "universus," which combines "unus" ("one") with "versus," the past participle of "vertere" ("to turn"). The sense is literally "turned into one," so a thing that is universal is one thing turned together from many parts, the whole considered as a single unit. The Latin adjective was used in medieval philosophy and theology, where it described concepts, truths, or ideas that apply to all members of a class. Scholastic writers distinguished the "universal" from the particular, and the term passed into English largely through this learned vocabulary. The word "universalis" itself is the Latin form, and English took over the root through "universal," which is the same adjective in its anglicized shape. Its Latin roots make it a straightforward example of a classical adjective carried into English without much change in meaning.

Synonyms: universal, general, comprehensive

Antonyms: particular, specific, limited