NEUTER • FREE-TRANSLATOR.COM • Definition of Neuter

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/nˈutər/ Listen

noun

Neuter 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. "The world's no neuter; it will wound or save."

2.

(Gram.)

(a)

A noun of the neuter gender; any one of those words which have the terminations usually found in neuter words.

(b)

An intransitive verb.

3.

(Biol.) An 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; esp., 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.

verb

neuter 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.

adjective

Neuter adj.

1.

Neither the one thing nor the other; on neither side; impartial; neutral. (Archaic) "In all our undertakings God will be either our friend or our enemy; for Providence never stands neuter."

2.

(Gram.)

(a)

Having a form belonging more especially to words which are not appellations of males or females; expressing or designating that which is of neither sex; as, a neuter noun; a neuter termination; the neuter gender.

(b)

Intransitive; as, a neuter verb.

3.

(Biol.) Having no generative organs, or imperfectly developed ones; sexless. See Neuter, n., 3.

See images of 'Neuter'

Etymology of 'Neuter'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Neuter" Quotes from Famous Books

... and children, never ceased repeating the word "yammerschooner," which means "give me." After pointing to almost every object, one after the other, even to the buttons on our coats, and saying their favourite word in as many intonations as possible, they would then use it in a neuter sense, and vacantly repeat "yammerschooner." After yammerschoonering for any article very eagerly, they would by a simple artifice point to their young women or little children, as much as to say, "If you will not give it me, surely you ...

— A Naturalist's Voyage Round the World - The Voyage Of The Beagle • Charles Darwin

... Christian Science responds, even as did our Master: "You were a murderer from the beginning. The truth abode not in you. You are a liar, and the father of it." Here it appears that a liar was in the neuter gender,—neither masculine nor feminine. Hence it was not man (the image of God) who lied, but the false claim to personality, which I call mortal mind; a claim which Christian Science uncovers, in order to demonstrate the falsity of ...

— Unity of Good • Mary Baker Eddy

... communistic femino-masculine honor demands that I refrain from any manoeuvers in his direction to attract his thoughts and attention to the feminine me. I can only meet him on the ordinary grounds of fellowship. And I suppose the glad-to-see him coming up the street was of the neuter gender, but it was ...

— The Tinder-Box • Maria Thompson Daviess

... the word for vermilion. This word is compounded from unimun, or plant yielding a red dye, and asawa, yellow. The peculiar color of yellow-red is thus indicated. Beizha is the neuter verb "to come." This verb appears to remain rigid in its conjugation, the tenses being indicated exclusively by inflections of the pronoun. Thus nim beizha, I come; ningee peizha, I came; ninguh peizha, I will ...

— Personal Memoirs Of A Residence Of Thirty Years With The Indian Tribes On The American Frontiers • Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

... so natural a presumption, the Hollandish "Nieuws" occurs, as a neuter substantive, in the sense of "niewe tijding," or "nouvelles," and, of course, the English "news," as perfect as can be wished. It is true that the "Nieuws-Boek" now circulates under the modest name of "Nieuws-Papieren," or of "Nieuws-Verteller:" but, to convince readers ...

— Notes and Queries, Number 54, November 9, 1850 • Various

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