中立の名詞と形容詞の意味、語源など | オックスフォード英語辞典

neutral, n. & adj. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary Skip to main content Factsheet Etymology Meaning & use Pronunciation Forms Frequency Compounds & derived words Dictionary Historical Thesaurus Factsheet Quotations Hide all quotations Factsheet What does the word neutral mean? There are 35 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word neutral , six of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. neutral has developed meanings and uses in subjects including navy (Middle English) grammar (mid 1500s) military (mid 1500s) chemistry (late 1600s) insects (mid 1700s) plants (mid 1700s) electrical (mid 1700s) pharmacology (late 1700s) optics (1810s) mechanics (1810s) dynamics (1810s) phonetics (1870s) textiles (1890s) life sciences (1890s) physiology (1890s) See meaning & use How common is the word neutral ? About 20 occurrences per million words in modern written English 1750 5.9 1760 6.3 1770 6.8 1780 9.8 1790 9.7 1800 21 1810 11 1820 9.9 1830 11 1840 13 1850 13 1860 18 1870 15 1880 14 1890 16 1900 19 1910 34 1920 28 1930 25 1940 27 1950 24 1960 24 1970 23 1980 23 1990 21 2000 20 2010 20 See frequency What is the etymology of the word neutral ? neutral is of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French . Partly a borrowing from Latin . Etymons: French neutral ; Latin neutrālis . See etymology What is the earliest known use of the word neutral ? Earliest known use Middle English The earliest known use of the word neutral is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for neutral is from around 1449, in the writing of Reginald Pecock, bishop of Chichester and religious author. See meaning & use How is the word neutral pronounced? British English /ˈnjuːtr(ə)l/ NYOO-truhl U.S. English /ˈn(j)utr(ə)l/ NYOO-truhl See pronunciation Nearby entries Neustrian, n. & adj. 1647– neuter, adj. & n. a1398– neuter, v. 1903– neuterdom, n. 1893– neutered, adj. 1935– neuterism, n. 1964– neuterlike, adj. 1556 neuterly, adv. 1774– neuterness, n. 1899– neuth, prep. & adv. 1487–1530 neutral, n. & adj. c1449– neutral axis, n. 1813– neutral beam, n. 1968– neutral blue, n. 1889– neutral buoyancy, n. 1955– neutral corner, n. 1952– neutral current, n. 1968– neutral-density, adj. 1938– neutral-dyeing, adj. 1955– neutralino, n. 1985– neutralism, n. 1579– Browse more nearby entries Etymology Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content. 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View our subscription options Personal account Access or purchase personal subscriptions Get our newsletter Save searches Set display preferences Sign in Register Institutional access Sign in through your institution Sign in with library card Sign in with username / password Recommend to your librarian Institutional account management Sign in as administrator on Oxford Academic Entry history for neutral, n. & adj. neutral, n. & adj. was revised in September 2003. neutral, n. & adj. was last modified in March 2026. Revision of the OED is a long-term project, and oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include: corrections and revisions to definitions, especially to improve clarity, accuracy, or intelligibility; new or updated quotation evidence, and reverified or redated bibliographical information; new or updated pronunciations (transcriptions and audio files); new or revised etymological information and improved coverage of variant spellings; new senses or phrases added in print and online updates since OED2 (1989). Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into neutral, n. & adj. in March 2026. Earlier versions of this entry were published in: OED First Edition (1906) Find out more OED Second Edition (1989) Find out more View neutral, a. and n. in OED Second Edition Cite Permanent link: Chicago 18 Oxford English Dictionary , “ ,” , . Copy to clipboard Copied to clipboard MLA 9 “ ” Oxford English Dictionary , Oxford UP, , . Copy to clipboard Copied to clipboard APA 7 Oxford University Press. (n.d.). In Oxford English dictionary . Retrieved , from Copy to clipboard Copied to clipboard Select format to download citation .ris (Papers, Zotero) .enw (EndNote) .txt (RefWorks) Download Contribute Please submit your feedback for neutral, n. & adj. Please include your email address if you are happy to be contacted about your feedback. OUP will not use this email address for any other purpose. Section (required) Factsheet Etymology Meaning & use Pronunciation Forms Frequency Compounds & derived words Other Feedback (required) Submit Citation details Factsheet for neutral, n. & adj. Browse entry Nearby entries Neustrian, n. & adj. 1647– neuter, adj. & n. a1398– neuter, v. 1903– neuterdom, n. 1893– neutered, adj. 1935– neuterism, n. 1964– neuterlike, adj. 1556 neuterly, adv. 1774– neuterness, n. 1899– neuth, prep. & adv. 1487–1530 neutral, n. & adj. c1449– neutral axis, n. 1813– neutral beam, n. 1968– neutral blue, n. 1889– neutral buoyancy, n. 1955– neutral corner, n. 1952– neutral current, n. 1968– neutral-density, adj. 1938– neutral-dyeing, adj. 1955– neutralino, n. 1985– neutralism, n. 1579– Browse more nearby entries