Universe
nounAll of existing space, matter, and time considered as a single whole.
How to spell universe
8 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce universe
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does universe mean?
- nounAll of existing space, matter, and time considered as a single whole.
Universe in a sentence
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Astronomers estimate that the universe is roughly fourteen billion years old.
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The documentary explored how galaxies formed across the universe.
Where does universe come from?
Language of origin: Latin
The word comes from the Latin universum, meaning 'the whole world' or 'all things together', which was the neuter form of universus, literally 'turned into one'. That adjective was built from unus, meaning 'one', joined to versus, the past participle of vertere, 'to turn', so the original image is of everything turned or combined into a single whole. English borrowed it through Old French univers in the 1300s, when it described the entirety of created things. The same vertere root turns up in a whole family of English words, including 'reverse', 'convert', and 'version', all of which share the idea of turning. Knowing that the spelling hides 'uni' (one) plus 'verse' helps lock in the second syllable, which is easy to slur in speech.
How the word is built
- uni- (one)
- vers- (from vertere: to turn)
- -e
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