NEUTER • DICTIONARY ONE.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

... sparkling, the Hackin must be boiled by Day-break, or else two young Men took the Maiden by the Arms, and run her round the Market-place, till she was ashamed of her Laziness. And what was worse than this, she must not play with the Young Fellows that Day, but stand Neuter, like a Girl doing penance in a Winding-sheet ...

— Christmas: Its Origin and Associations - Together with Its Historical Events and Festive Celebrations During Nineteen Centuries • William Francis Dawson

... old language there was no neuter gender, the gods must always appear either as female or male. For apparent reasons, in all the translations, through the pronouns and adjectives used, the more important ancient deities have all been made to appear ...

— The God-Idea of the Ancients - or Sex in Religion • Eliza Burt Gamble

... derogateth not from the truth, we may not, we dare not, leave off to debate with them. Among the laws of Solon, there was one which pronounced him defamed and unhonest who, in a civil uproar among the citizens, sitteth still a looker-on and a neuter (Plut. in Vita. Solon); much more deserve they to be so accounted of who shun to meddle with any controversy which disquieted the church, whereas they should labour to win the adversaries of the truth, ...

— The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2) • George Gillespie

... the same relation to nouns that sex has to individuals, but while there are only two sexes, there are four genders, viz., masculine, feminine, neuter and common. The masculine gender denotes all those of the male kind, the feminine gender all those of the female kind, the neuter gender denotes inanimate things or whatever is without life, and common gender is applied to animate beings, the sex ...

— How to Speak and Write Correctly • Joseph Devlin

... cita: That about the appointment. The neuter article lo, thus used instead of a word or phrase unexpressed, is equivalent to 'the affair,' 'the thing,' 'the fact,' 'the ...

— Ms vale maa que fuerza • Manuel Tamayo y Baus

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