NEUTRAL

neutral, electroneutral

(adjective) having no net electric charge

achromatic, neutral

(adjective) having no hue; “neutral colors like black or white”

neutral

(adjective) lacking distinguishing quality or characteristics; “a neutral personality that made no impression whatever”

neutral

(adjective) not supporting or favoring either side in a war, dispute, or contest

impersonal, neutral

(adjective) having no personal preference; “impersonal criticism”; “a neutral observer”

neutral

(adjective) possessing no distinctive quality or characteristics

inert, indifferent, neutral

(adjective) having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive; “inert matter”; “an indifferent chemical in a reaction”

neutral

(noun) one who does not side with any party in a war or dispute

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

neutral (comparative more neutral, superlative most neutral)

Not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned.

Favouring neither the supporting nor opposing viewpoint of a topic of debate; unbiased.

(grammar) Neither positive nor negative.

Neither beneficial nor harmful.

(biology) Having no sex; neuter.

Having no obvious colour; gray

(physics) Neither positive nor negative; possessing no charge or equivalent positive and negative charge such that there is no imbalance.

(chemistry) Having a pH near 7, neither acidic nor alkaline.

Synonyms

• (neither beneficial nor harmful): innocuous

Noun

neutral (plural neutrals)

A nonaligned state, or a member of such a state.

A person who takes no side in a dispute.

An individual or entity serving as an arbitrator or adjudicator.

A neutral hue.

The position of a set of gears in which power cannot be transmitted to the drive mechanism.

An electrical terminal or conductor which has zero or close to zero voltage with respect to the ground.

Anagrams

• Renault, run late, unalert, unalter

Source: Wiktionary


Neu"tral, a. Etym: [L. neutralis, fr. neuter. See Neuter.]

1. Not engaged on either side; not taking part with or assisting either of two or more contending parties; neuter; indifferent. The heart can not possibly remain neutral, but constantly takes part one way or the other. Shaftesbury.

2. Neither good nor bad; of medium quality; middling; not decided or pronounced. Some things good, and some things ill, do seem, And neutral some, in her fantastic eye. Sir J. Davies.

3. (Biol.)

Definition: Neuter. See Neuter, a., 3.

4. (Chem.)

Definition: Having neither acid nor basic properties; unable to turn red litmus blue or blue litmus red; -- said of certain salts or other compounds. Contrasted with Ant: acid, and Ant: alkaline. Neutral axis, Neutral surface (Mech.), that line or plane, in a beam under transverse pressure, at which the fibers are neither stretched nor compressed, or where the longitudinal stress is zero. See Axis.

– Neutral equilibrium (Mech.), the kind of equilibrium of a body so placed that when moved slighty it neither tends to return to its former position not depart more widely from it, as a perfect sphere or cylinder on a horizontal plane.

– Neutral salt (Chem.), a salt formed by the complete replacement of the hydrogen in an acid or base; in the former case by a positive or basic, in the latter by a negative or acid, element or radical.

– Neutral tint, a bluish gray pigment, used in water colors, made by mixing indigo or other blue some warm color. the shades vary greatly.

– Neutral vowel, the vowel element having an obscure and indefinite quality, such as is commonly taken by the vowel in many unaccented syllables. It is regarded by some as identical with the Ă» in up, and is called also the natural vowel, as unformed by art and effort. See Guide to Pronunciation, § 17.

Neu"tral, n.

Definition: A person or a nation that takes no part in a contest between others; one who is neutral. The neutral, as far as commerce extends, becomes a party in the war. R. G. Harper.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 November 2024

THEORETICAL

(adjective) concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations; “theoretical science”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee starts as a yellow berry, changes into a red berry, and then is picked by hand to harvest. The red berry is de-shelled through a water soaking process and what’s left inside is the green coffee bean. This bean then dries in the sun for 3-5 days, where it is then packed and ready for sale.

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