Universal \U`ni*ver"sal\, a. [L. universalis: cf. F. universel, OF. also universal. See {Universe}.] 1. Of or pertaining to the universe; extending to, including, or affecting, the whole number, quantity, or space; unlimited; general; all-reaching; all-pervading; as, universal ruin; universal good; universal benevolence or benefice. ``Anointed universal King.'' --Milton.
The universal cause Acts not by partial, but by general laws. --Pope.
This universal frame began. --Dryden.
Note: Universal and its derivatives are used in common discourse for general and its derivatives. See {General}.
2. Constituting or considered as a whole; total; entire; whole; as, the universal world. --Shak.
At which the universal host up dent A shout that tore Hell's concave. --Milton.
3. (Mech.) Adapted or adaptable to all or to various uses, shapes, sizes, etc.; as, a universal milling machine.
4. (Logic) Forming the whole of a genus; relatively unlimited in extension; affirmed or denied of the whole of a subject; as, a universal proposition; -- opposed to {particular}; e. g. (universal affirmative) All men are animals; (universal negative) No men are omniscient.
{Universal chuck} (Mach.), a chuck, as for a lathe, having jaws which can be moved simultaneously so as to grasp objects of various sizes.
{Universal church}, the whole church of God in the world; the catholic church. See the Note under {Catholic}, a., 1.
{Universal coupling}. (Mach.) Same as {Universal joint}, below.
{Universal dial}, a dial by which the hour may be found in any part of the world, or under any elevation of the pole.
{Universal instrument} (Astron.), a species of altitude and azimuth instrument, the peculiarity of which is, that the object end of the telescope is placed at right angles to the eye end, with a prism of total reflection at the angle, and the eye end constitutes a portion of the horizontal axis of the instrument, having the eyepiece at the pivot and in the center of the altitude circle, so that the eye has convenient access to both at the same time.
{Universal joint} (Mach.), a contrivance used for joining two shafts or parts of a machine endwise, so that the one may give rotary motion to the other when forming an angle with it, or may move freely in all directions with respect to the other, as by means of a cross connecting the forked ends of the two shafts (Fig. 1). Since this joint can not act when the angle of the shafts is less than 140[deg], a double joint of the same kind is sometimes used for giving rotary motion at angles less than 140[deg] (Fig. 2).
{Universal umbel} (Bot.), a primary or general umbel; the first or largest set of rays in a compound umbel; -- opposed to partial umbel. A universal involucre is not unfrequently placed at the foot of a universal umbel.
Syn: General; all; whole; total. See {General}.
Universal \U`ni*ver"sal\, n. 1. The whole; the general system of the universe; the universe. [Obs.]
Plato calleth God the cause and original, the nature and reason, of the universal. --Sir W. Raleigh.
2. (Logic) (a) A general abstract conception, so called from being universally applicable to, or predicable of, each individual or species contained under it. (b) A universal proposition. See {Universal}, a., 4.
Rather, it is the universal quality of the people.
"It's a story about time, and that's universal, and it's a story about two people who need each other but have to destroy each other in order to survive.
Here are highlights of Massachusetts' universal health care law to make affordable insurance available to all residents by 1992.
At Northwest Missouri, off-campus students must buy their own or use terminals on campus; more and more courses require their use. On campus, computers are universal.
Denis Worrall, one of the Democratic Party leaders, said his delegation and Mandela agreed on the need for universal voting rights, but differed over the ANC's support for guerrilla violence, economic sanctions and nationalization.
Democratic co-leader Denis Worrall said his delegation agreed with Mandela on the need for universal voting rights, but differed over the ANC's support for guerrilla violence, economic sanctions and nationalization.
"After the 1929 crash, the universal phrase was 'The economy is fundamentally sound,'" said a skeptical John Kenneth Galbraith, the Harvard economist.
There are seemingly endless twists to universal life, and it pays to ask questions about all of them.
Finance ministry officials on Wednesday unveiled proposals for Poland's first universal income tax and a "value added" tax on manufactured goods.
'Soccer is the universal language.
The government was called upon to grant unrestricted freedom of the press and a total, unconditional amnesty for political prisoners, renew a dialogue with its internal opposition and review its universal military conscription law.
Only the United States, they say, has made its ostensible goal the exportation of democracy and freedom as universal principles.
The U.S. Bipartisan Commission on Comprehensive Health Care reported it had approved proposals to provide universal health insurance, phased in over five years, and a proposal to ensure long-term nursing care to Americans.
But this and yesterday's price fall does not appear to have detered some analysts. While consternation was almost universal yesterday, Warburg for instance, has lowered its earnings estimates - but maintained its buy recommendation.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the Dalai Lama's message of universal reverence and respect for all living things.
The operators of these schemes are counting on a universal human weakness, the lure of beating the system and actually getting something for nothing, or almost nothing.
Other scholars doubt her claims that baby talk is universal or essential to learning language and pooh-pooh her methods.
The other one-third would be covered under the second-step universal health plan.
They also receive a rake-off from advertisements placed by their government department of about 10-15 per cent. However, such practices are not universal.
Biblical themes have been fruitful ground for composers, whether to serve as picturesque narrative in the 18th-century style or to investigate universal themes for the present day. The new work was The Death of Moses by Alexander Goehr.
But Goldberg testified she liked van Rijn and he seemed to have universal respect in Amsterdam.
They included universal disarmament, the question of foreign military in the Indian Ocean, a neutral Afghanistan and national self-determination as areas where the two could come very close.
The recommended fine is a record for Texas. L&G said that universal life policies represented only about 5 per cent of Banner Life's business in terms of premium income.
Social Security is a universal social insurance program protecting Americans regardless of age or income.
Iliescu came to power with virtually universal support from Romanians relieved to be rid of Ceausescu.
At the other end of the scale, many buildings - perhaps as much as half the market - are virtually unsellable. With such a fragmented market, the case for buying property is neither universal or overwhelming.
The nearly universal hope in Poland, however, is that Communism has gasped its last breath.
In Russia itself, the universal demand of the Armenians for the dismemberment of Azerbaijan and the return of the province where they constitute a majority is a classic case of old-style nationalism.
The full message, according to Brandow, read: "Richard Brandow, the publisher of MacMag, and its entire staff would like to take this opportunity to convey their universal message of peace to all Macintosh users around the world."
Most insurers promote whole life or universal life, which have substantially lower death benefits and much higher premiums and commissions, but which also provide for long-term savings.