neuter

neuter
\ \ [14] From a formal point of view, Latin neuter is virtually identical to English neither.
\ \ Both originated as compounds formed from a negative particle and an element meaning ‘which of two’. In the case of neuter these were ne and uter, which in combination denoted etymologically ‘neither one thing nor the other’.
\ \ The specialized application to grammatical gender soon emerged, and it was in this sense that neuter was first adopted into English. The derivative neutral [16] goes back to Latin neutrālis.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Neuter — Neu ter, a. [L., fr. ne not + uter whether; akin to E. whether. See {No}, and {Whether}, and cf. {Neither}.] 1. Neither the one thing nor the other; on neither side; impartial; neutral. [Archaic] [1913 Webster] In all our undertakings God will be …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Neuter — Neu ter, n. 1. A person who takes no part in a contest; one who is either indifferent to a cause or forbears to interfere; a neutral. [1913 Webster] The world s no neuter; it will wound or save. Young. [1913 Webster] 2. (Gram.) (a) A noun of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Neuter — is a Latin adjective meaning neither , and can refer to: Neutering, the sterilization of an animal The neuter grammatical gender See also Trap Neuter Return (TNR), an alternative to euthanasia for managing feral cat and dog populations This… …   Wikipedia

  • neuter — [no͞ot′ər, nyo͞ot′ər] adj. [ME neutre < MFr or L: MFr neutre < L neuter, neither < ne , not (see NO1) + uter, either] 1. Archaic taking neither side; neutral 2. Biol. a) having no sexual organ; asexual b) having undeveloped o …   English World dictionary

  • neuter — ► ADJECTIVE 1) Grammar (of a noun) not masculine, feminine, or common. 2) (of an animal) lacking developed sexual organs, or having had them removed. 3) (of a plant or flower) having neither functional pistils nor stamens. ► NOUN Grammar ▪ a… …   English terms dictionary

  • neuter — eu ter, v. t. To render incapable of sexual reproduction; to remove or alter the sexual organs so as to make infertile; to alter; to fix; to desex; in male animals, to {castrate}; in female animals, to {spay}. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • neuter — [v] remove sex organs alter, castrate, change, desexualize, doctor, dress, fix, geld, make barren, make impotent, make infertile, make sexless, mutilate, spay, sterilize, unsex; concepts 157,250 …   New thesaurus

  • neuter — 1. adjective /ˈnjuːtə,ˈnuːtɚ,ˈnjuːtɚ/ a) Neither the one thing nor the other; on neither side; impartial; neutral. In all our undertakings God will be either our friend or our enemy; for Providence never stands neuter. b) Having a form belonging… …   Wiktionary

  • neuter — {{11}}neuter (adj.) late 14c., of grammatical gender, neither masculine nor feminine, from L. neuter of the neuter gender, lit. neither one nor the other, from ne not, no (see UN (Cf. un) ) + uter either (of two) (see WHETHER (Cf. whether)).… …   Etymology dictionary

  • neuter — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English neutre, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French neutre, from Latin neuter, literally, neither, from ne not + uter which of two more at no, whether Date: 14th century 1. a. of, relating to, or constituting… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • neuter — I UK [ˈnjuːtə(r)] / US [ˈnutər] verb [transitive] Word forms neuter : present tense I/you/we/they neuter he/she/it neuters present participle neutering past tense neutered past participle neutered 1) to perform an operation on an animal s sexual… …   English dictionary

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