English
universal
Universal comes from Old French universal, from Latin ūniversālis, from ūniversus ‘whole’, from ūnus ‘one’ + versus ‘turned’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁óynos‘one’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oinos‘one’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEoinos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnus‘one’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEūniversus‘whole’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEūniversālis‘universal, general’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400universal‘universal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500universal‘all-encompassing’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1701universal
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁óynos‘one’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oinos‘one’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEoinos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnus‘one’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEūniversus‘whole’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEūniversālis‘universal, general’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400universal‘universal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500universal‘all-encompassing’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1701universal
Earliest quotation: a. 1701, John Dryden, The Life of John Dryden, Esq.: “[John] Dryden's univerſal genius, his firmly eſtablished reputation, and…”
Formed from universe + -al
Latin ūniversus ‘whole, entire’
Old French univers ‘the whole world’
Middle English universe ‘the universe’
English universe
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ís ‘this, he’
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos ‘one’
an, one, no, only, any, none, 21 more
through Proto-Italic *oinos ‘one’
through Latin ūnus ‘one, single’
union, unique, unite, uno, triune, 15 more
through Latin versus
Today it means
adj Of or pertaining to the universe.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos / universal