universe

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Everything that exists, including all of space, time, and matter.

   Powerful telescopes look far back into the distant reaches of the universe.

2. 2
   noun

   The complete imaginary world in which a story takes place.

   The universe in this comic book series is richly imagined.

3. 3
   noun

   A person's whole world or way of seeing things.

   That didn't just rock my world, it rocked my universe.

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.

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