u·ni·verse (yo?o?n?-vûrs?) n. 1. All spacetime, matter, and energy, including the solar system, all stars and galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space, regarded as a whole. 2. A hypothetical whole of spacetime, matter, and energy that is purported to exist simultaneously with but to be different from this universe: an alternate universe. 3. a. A model or conception of the earth and everything else that exists: “Apart from celestial beings, the aboriginals’ universe contained spirits of the land and sea” (Madhusree Mukerjee). b. The human race or a subset of it: “It was a universe that took slavery for granted” (Adam Hochschild). 4. A sphere of interest, activity, or understanding: “their almost hermetically sealed-off universe of part-time jobs and study and improvised meals” (Sue Miller). 5. Logic See universe of discourse.6. Statistics See population. [Middle English, from Old French univers, from Latin ?niversum, from neuter of ?niversus, whole : ?nus, one; see oi-no- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + versus, past participle of vertere, to turn; see wer-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.universe (?ju?n??v??s) n1. (Astronomy) astronomy the aggregate of all existing matter, energy, and space2. human beings collectively3. a province or sphere of thought or activity4. (Statistics) statistics another word for population7[C16: from French univers, from Latin ?niversum the whole world, from ?niversus all together, from uni- + vertere to turn]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014u?ni?verse (?yu n??v?rs) n. 1. the totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space; the cosmos; macrocosm. 2. the whole world, esp. with reference to humanity. 3. a world or sphere in which something exists or prevails. 4. Also called u?niverse of dis?course.Logic. the aggregate of all the objects, attributes, and relations assumed or implied in a given discussion. [1325?75; Middle English