Universally

How to spell universally

11 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce universally

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does universally mean?

1. adverbIn a way that applies to or is accepted by everyone or everything, without exception.

Universally in a sentence

• The new safety policy was universally welcomed by the staff.

• His honesty made him universally respected across the company.

Where does universally come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb traces back to the Latin universus, meaning 'whole' or 'entire', literally 'turned into one', a compound of unus 'one' and versus, the past participle of vertere 'to turn'. The Romans pictured all things turned together into a single whole, which is the same image behind the noun 'universe'. The Latin adjective universalis, meaning 'belonging to all', passed through Old French as universel before settling into English around the late 1300s. English then added its native adverb ending -ly to the established adjective 'universal' to form 'universally', meaning 'in a way that applies to everyone or everything'. The buried 'vers' root that means 'turn' also surfaces in relatives such as 'reverse', 'convert', and 'version', a useful reminder that the middle of the word is spelled with an e, not the 'us' sound you might hear.

How the word is built

• uni- (one)
• vers (from vertere: to turn)
• -al (adjective)
• -ly (adverb)