universal
part of speech
adjective (universal); noun (a universal — formal, philosophy)
meaning for a pupil
1) Universal means true for, done by or belonging to everyone or everything, in every place. tree →
2) Something universal works in all cases: a universal remote works with any TV. tree →
3) Belonging to the whole universe: universal laws of nature. tree →
4) (formal) A universal is an idea or quality that is the same everywhere. tree →
sense in the lessons
Interpretation: Sefer Yetzirah speaks of an invisible axis, called Tali, that carries the whole world. A commentator reads it as a universal axis that holds the universe the way God stays close to it. In the primary lessons: In science, laws such as gravity are called universal because they work everywhere. In citizenship lessons people talk about «universal human rights» and «universal suffrage» (everyone can vote). In everyday life a universal charger or plug fits many devices. Phrases: «universal truth», «universal language», «a universal favourite», «universal credit» (a UK benefit).
examples
- Dr. Cassel is of the opinion that our author meant here, probably the invisible, celestial or universal axis that carries the whole Universe. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
- [paragraph continues] God stands in close connection with the Universe, and just so is Tali connected with the world, that is, an invisible, celestial or universal axis carries the whole fabric. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
- Smiling is a universal sign of being happy. tree →
- Gravity is a universal force: it pulls on everything with mass. tree →
- Music is sometimes called a universal language. tree →
- Dad bought a universal charger that fits all our phones. tree →
- Every child has the universal right to an education. tree →
- Chocolate ice cream is a universal favourite in our class. tree →
- Universal Credit is money from the government that helps some families in the UK. tree →
- Having vastly delighted the assembly, he sat down amidst universal applause. tree →
note
Adjective; adverb «universally». Starts with a «you» sound, so we say «a universal», not «an universal». Something «universal» is not always true just because many people say it; check. Related: universe, universally, university (a different meaning, a place of study).
In the corpora
- Universal indicator mixes several dyes, so each pH gets its own colour, a whole rainbow from red to purple.
- Temujin united the Mongol tribes and in 1206 was named Genghis Khan, meaning universal ruler.
- Catholics celebrate Mass and have seven sacraments; the word catholic means universal.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «universal» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.