neuter

comparative more neuter · superlative most neuter · alternative abbreviation n. · alternative abbreviation n · alternative abbreviation ntr

1. not comparableuncommonusuallyNeutral; on neither side; neither one thing nor another.

   This is certain, that in all our Undertakings God will be either our Friend or our Enemy. For Providence never stands neuter […]

   1672, Robert South, “A Sermon Preach’d at Westminster-Abbey, on the Twenty Ninth of May, 1672. Being the Anniversary Festival appointed by Act of Parliament, for the Happy Restoration of King Charles II”, in Twelve Sermons and Discourses on Several Subjects and Occasions, 6th edition, volume 5, London: Jonah Bowyer, published 1727, page 271

   3 more examples

   But if I could, by Him that gave me life, I would attach you all and make you stoop Unto the sovereign mercy of the king; But since I cannot, be it known to you I do remain as neuter.

   1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene 3]

   [A]s their firſt Security, they did all they could to foment War betwixt the neighbouring Negroes, remaining Neuter themselves, by which Means, thoſe who were overcome conſtantly fled to them for Protection, otherwiſe they must be either killed or made Slaves.

   1724, Charles Johnson [pseudonym], “Of Captain Avery, and His Crew”, in A General History of the Pyrates, […], 2nd edition, London: Printed for, and sold by T. Warner, […], →OCLC, pages 59-60

   A relay race that does not match teams but integrates the fastest and the slowest in one race against the most neuter of all adversaries — time.

   1973, Nancy Frazier, Myra Sadker, Sexism in school and society

   Synonyms: impartial, neutral, candid, cold, clinical, detached, egal, equal

2. not comparableusuallygrammarHaving a form which is not masculine nor feminine; or having a form which is not of common gender.

   a neuter noun

   5 more examples

   the neuter definite article

   a neuter termination

   the neuter gender

   Slaves were given short, often neuter, names.

   1945, E[lizabeth] G[idley] Withycombe, “Introduction”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page xiii

   In The Cook and the Carpenter, Arnold used the device of a neuter pronoun "na," instead of assigning gender to the characters.

   1982 April 10, Maida Tilchen, “June Arnold Dies of Cancer”, in Gay Community News, page 3

3. not comparableusuallygrammarIntransitive.

   a neuter verb

   Synonyms: intransitive

4. not comparableusuallybiologySexless: having no or imperfectly developed sex organs.

   […] I should never have anticipated that natural selection could have been efficient in so high a degree, had not the case of these neuter insects convinced me of the fact.

   1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Instinct”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 242

   Synonyms: asexual, genderless, sexless

5. literarynot comparableusuallySexless, non-sexual.

   Rich girls stayed home and got married and then "put out" occasionally, but only as their wifely duty. Prior to the sexual revolution in the 1960s southern belles were the most neuter members of the human race[.]

   2000, Jan Hutson, The Chicken Ranch: The True Story of the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, →ISBN, page 30

   Synonyms: asexual, platonic, unsexual

6. not comparableusuallyCastrated; having had the reproductive organs removed.

   Synonyms: fixed, gelded, neutered, spayed

plural neuters · alternative abbreviation n. · alternative abbreviation n · alternative abbreviation ntr

1. biologyAn organism, either vegetable or animal, which at its maturity has no generative organs, or but imperfectly developed ones, as a plant without stamens or pistils, as the garden Hydrangea; especially, one of the imperfectly developed females of certain social insects, as of the ant and the common honeybee, which perform the labors of the community, and are called workers.
2. offensivesometimesuncommonOne who has been neutered; eunuch.

   You can change yourself into a neuter, but you can't become the opposite sex.

   2023 September 27, @Philosophy_the, Twitter

   2 more examples

   the information i acquire may help me finalize my decision to become a neuter. let me say that castration is (for me) in no way a short term goal. it's something i've heard about, thought about, and believe may benefit me personally.

   1999 July 21, ipso facto, “can anyone out there tell me...”, in alt.eunuchs.questions (Usenet)

   I WOULD SOONER BECOME A NEUTER no seriously tell me where the libido-suppressing pills are

   2015 March 8, @OzKFodrotski, Twitter

3. The act of neutering (typically an animal)

   Well, we've had a young (probably around a year old, but I'm guessing), intact (he's scheduled for a neuter, but it's one of those "when we get a spare minute" type of things) male Shih-tzu/shih-tzu mix come in about a month ago.

   2001 March 14, Shelly, “Shih tzu questions.”, in rec.pets.dogs.behavior (Usenet)

4. A person who takes no part in a contest; someone remaining neutral.

   Friends, neuters, enemies, all are as one, to make a fool a madman is their sport […].

   1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition I, section 2, member 4, subsection iv

   1 more example

   But if you should beecome eyther a counterfayt Protestant, or a perverse Papist, or a colde and carelesse newter (which God forbid) the harme could not be expressed which you should do to your native Cuntrie.

   1571, Arthur Golding, “Epistle Dedicatorie”, in The Psalmes of David and others. With M. John Calvins Commentaries

5. grammarThe neuter gender.
6. grammarA noun of the neuter gender; any one of those words which have the terminations usually found in neuter words.
7. grammarAn intransitive verb or state-of-being verb.

   Make one do, or act (to), fare fare, fare agire, with an accusative when the verb is a neuter, and with a dative when otherwise.

   1820, M. Santagnello, A Dictionary of the Peculiarities of the Italian Language, G. and W. B. Whittaker, page 185

   2 more examples

   Compound verbs other than those already spoken of whereby neuters are made active, are very rare, as I have already hinted under the head of nouns.

   1847, Brian Houghton Hodgson, Essay the First; On the Kocch, Bódo and Dhimál Tribes, in Three Parts, J. Thomas, page 119

   In all the Apachean languages, verbs are divided into two major categories, neuters and actives, each of which may be further divided into intransitives, transitives, and passives.

   1971, Harry Hoijer, “Athapaskan Morphology”, in Jesse O. Sawyer, editor, Studies in American Indian Languages, University of California Press, published 1973, →ISBN, page 130

present singular third person neuters · participle present neutering · participle past neutered · past neutered · alternative abbreviation n. · alternative abbreviation n · alternative abbreviation ntr

1. transitiveTo remove sex organs from an animal to prevent it from having offspring; to castrate or spay, particularly as applied to domestic animals.
2. transitiveTo rid of sexuality.

   1 more example

   The neutering extends to Believe’s guest stars, with warm-and-fuzzy verses from Ludacris (“I love everything about you / You’re imperfectly perfect”), Big Sean (“I don’t know if this makes sense, but you’re my hallelujah”), Nicki Minaj (who at least squeaks a “bitches” into her verse), and especially Drake, whose desire to hug and kiss the object of his affection on “Right Here” is reminiscent of The Red Hot Chili Peppers on Krusty’s Comeback Special.

   2012 June 26, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 05 Nov 2013

3. transitiveTo drastically reduce the effectiveness of something.

   Congress neutered the bill by adding an exception for big corporations.

   2 more examples

   Here wrangling, bitty conflicts neutered change.

   1974, John Boorman, Zardoz, London: Pan Books, page 51

   This collusion with the forces of corporate oppression neuters the press, Trump's critics and the Democratic Party.

   2024 July 14, Chris Hedges, “My Thoughts On the Attempted Trump Assassination”, in The Chris Hedges Report

4. transitiveTo make grammatically neuter.

   At their religious services Am Tikva makes all attempts to de-genderize the liturgy by neutering English nouns and pronouns and, when Hebrew is used, by using both masculine and the feminine forms of the language.

   1983 December 3, Warren Blumenfeld, “Am Tikva”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 20, page 7