universal

«universal» in Mova's school dictionary: true for, done by or belonging to everyone or everything… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

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

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

• 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.