英和和英

語源

From Middle French neutral (compare modern French neutre), from Latin neutrālis. By surface analysis, neuter +‎ -al.

発音

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈnjuː.tɹəl/
• (General American) IPA: /ˈnuː.tɹəl/

形容詞

neutral (comparative more neutral, superlative most neutral)

1. (politics) Not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned.
2. Favoring neither the supporting nor opposing viewpoint of a topic of debate; unbiased.

   Synonyms: disinterested, indifferent; see also Thesaurus:impartial

   I am neutral regarding the issue of gay marriage.

   • 1711, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, Characteristicks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times:

     The heart can not possibly remain neutral, but constantly takes part one way or the other.

3. Neither positive nor negative.
4. (psychology) Not biased; viewing situations objectively in a way that is neither positive nor negative.

   a neutral person

5. Neither beneficial nor harmful.

   Synonym: innocuous

   • c. 1600, Sir John Davies, The Original, Nature, and Immortality of the Soul:

     Some things good, and some things ill, do seem,
     And neutral some, in her fantastic eye.

   • 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:

     Plant breeding is always a numbers game. […] The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, […] In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe.

6. (biology) Having no sex; neuter.

   Synonym: sexless

7. Having no obvious colour; gray.

   Synonym: beige

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

   Synonyms: uncharged, chargeless

9. (chemistry) Having a pH of or near 7, neither acidic nor alkaline.
10. (liquor, chemistry) Of an alcoholic drink, having been fermented and distilled but with no additives.
11. (roleplaying games) Having an alignment that is situated between two notable possibilities, such as between good and evil, or between chaotic and lawful.

    Hyponyms: neutral good, true neutral, neutral evil

    Coordinate terms: chaotic, lawful

派生語

名詞

neutral (countable and uncountable, plural neutrals)

1. A nonaligned state, or a member of such a state.
2. A person who takes no side in a dispute.
   • 1931, “Which Side Are You On?”, performed by Florence Patton Reece:

     They say in Harlan County
     There are no neutrals there
     You'll either be a union man
     Or a thug for J.H. Blair.

3. An individual or entity serving as an arbitrator or adjudicator.
4. A neutral hue.
5. (uncountable) The position of a set of gears in which power cannot be transmitted to the drive mechanism.

   Near-synonym: angel gear (humorous)

   Put it in neutral, and we'll push it out of the garage.

   • 1961, Robert S. Close, With Hooves of Brass, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 124:

     He shoved the tractor into neutral, and, leaving the engine running, jumped down[.]

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

   Coordinate terms: hot, ground, earth

派生語

参考

• (transmission gears): freewheel, overdrive

アナグラム

• Renault, run late, unalert, unalter