Etymology

universe

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Today it means: The sum of everything that exists in the cosmos. Full definition →

Middle English universe ← Old French univers ← Latin ūniversus
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universe · proper noun, noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ís?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁óynos
  3. Proto-Italic*oinos
  4. Old Latinoinos
  5. Latinūnus
  6. Proto-Indo-European*wert-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*wr̥ttós
  8. Proto-Italic*worssos
  9. Latinvorsus
  10. Latinversus
  11. Latinūniversus
  12. Old Frenchunivers
  13. Middle Englishuniverse
  14. English todayuniverse

From Middle English universe, from Old French univers, from Latin universum (“all things, as a whole, the universe”), neuter of universus (“all together, whole, entire, collective, general, literally turned or combined into one”), from uni-, combining form of unus (“one”) + versus (“turned”), perfect passive participle of vertō (“to turn”). Analyzable as uni- + -verse through backformation of -verse.

Universe · proper noun2

  1. Latin · derived fromuniversum
  2. Old French · derived fromunivers
  3. English todayUniverse

From Middle English, directly or via Old French univers, from Latin universum. See universe.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.