Universe

Universe

Noun · /ˈjuːnɪvɜːs/ · all existing matter, space, and time as a whole

Definition

Universe means everything that exists — all matter, energy, space, and time taken together as one complete whole. In cosmology, it is the totality of physical existence. In everyday use, it can describe any complete self-contained world or system: the universe of a novel, the developer's universe of tools, a brand's entire universe of products. The word always carries a sense of totality — nothing is left out.

Origin

Universe comes from the Latin universus — turning as one, whole, entire — from uni- (one) and versus (turned, combined). It entered English in the sixteenth century to mean the whole of creation. By the seventeenth century, with the rise of astronomy, it took on its modern scientific meaning: all of space and what it contains.