neutral

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: neutrál

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology[edit]

From Middle French neutral (compare modern French neutre), from Latin neutralis. By surface analysis, neuter +‎ -al.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

neutral (comparative more neutral, superlative most neutral)

  1. (politics) Not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned.
  2. Favouring neither the supporting nor opposing viewpoint of a topic of debate; unbiased.
    I am neutral regarding the issue of gay marriage.
  3. Neither positive nor negative.
  4. Neither beneficial nor harmful.
    • c. 1600, Sir John Davies, The Original, Nature, and Immortality of the Soul:
      Some things good, and some things ill, do seem,
      And neutral some, in her fantastic eye.
    • 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
      Plant breeding is always a numbers game. [] The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, [] In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe.
  5. (biology) Having no sex; neuter.
  6. Having no obvious colour; gray
  7. (physics) Neither positive nor negative; possessing no charge or equivalent positive and negative charge such that there is no imbalance.
  8. (chemistry) Having a pH of or near 7, neither acidic nor alkaline.
  9. (liquor, chemistry) Of an alcoholic drink, having been fermented and distilled but with no additives.
  10. (roleplaying games) Having an alignment that is in between chaotic and lawful.
    Coordinate terms: chaotic, lawful

Synonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Noun[edit]

neutral (plural neutrals)

  1. A nonaligned state, or a member of such a state.
  2. A person who takes no side in a dispute.
    • 1931, “Which Side Are You On?”, performed by Florence Patton Reece:
      They say in Harlan County
      There are no neutrals there
      You'll either be a union man
      Or a thug for J.H. Blair.
  3. An individual or entity serving as an arbitrator or adjudicator.
  4. A neutral hue.
  5. The position of a set of gears in which power cannot be transmitted to the drive mechanism.
    • 1961, Robert S. Close, With Hooves of Brass, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 124:
      He shoved the tractor into neutral, and, leaving the engine running, jumped down[.]
  6. An electrical terminal or conductor which has zero or close to zero voltage with respect to the ground.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin neutrālis.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

neutral m or f (masculine and feminine plural neutrals)

  1. neutral

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Danish[edit]

Adjective[edit]

neutral

  1. neutral

Inflection[edit]

Inflection of neutral
Positive Comparative Superlative
Indefinte common singular neutral 2
Indefinite neuter singular neutralt 2
Plural neutrale 2
Definite attributive1 neutrale
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

German[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • n. (abbreviation)

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

neutral (strong nominative masculine singular neutraler, comparative neutraler, superlative am neutralsten)

  1. (politics, physics, chemistry) neutral

Declension[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • neutral” in Duden online
  • neutral” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin neutralis or Italian neutrale. By surface analysis, neutru +‎ -al.

Adjective[edit]

neutral m or n (feminine singular neutrală, masculine plural neutrali, feminine and neuter plural neutrale)

  1. neutral

Declension[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin neutrālis.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /neuˈtɾal/ [neu̯ˈt̪ɾal]
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Syllabification: neu‧tral

Adjective[edit]

neutral m or f (masculine and feminine plural neutrales)

  1. (politics) neutral

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

neutral

  1. neutral
  2. (grammar) intransitive[1]

Declension[edit]

Inflection of neutral
Indefinite Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular neutral neutralare neutralast
Neuter singular neutralt neutralare neutralast
Plural neutrala neutralare neutralast
Masculine plural3 neutrale neutralare neutralast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 neutrale neutralare neutralaste
All neutrala neutralare neutralaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic

Related terms[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Transitiv in Nordisk familjebok (2nd ed., 1919)