Apedia

Univocal Sense Meaning Word Latin October Adjective Yoo Niv Uh Kul

Univocal means having only one meaning, or being unambiguous.

Univocal means having only one meaning, or being unambiguous.

Word univocal
Date October 13, 2016
Type adjective
Syllables yoo-NIV-uh-kul
Etymology Earliest known print evidence of univocal, in the sense of "having one meaning only," dates the word to the mid-1500s, somewhat earlier than its more familiar antonym equivocal (meaning "often misleadingly subject to two or more interpretations"). Both words trace back to the Latin noun vox, which means "voice." The prefix uni- ("one") was combined with vox to create the Late Latin word univocus, from which English speakers borrowed univocal. Univocal was indeed once used in the sense of "speaking in one voice" (or "unanimous") as its etymology would imply, but that use is now obsolete.
Examples The president declared that it was important to send a univocal message of support to the beleaguered country.

"Often cited as America's greatest indigenous art form, jazz wriggles away from any univocal definition, resisting the confines of a single track like water flowing on broken ground." — Charles Donelan, The Santa Barbara (California) Independent, 23 Sept. 2010
Definition 1 : having one meaning only
2 : unambiguous

Tags: wordoftheday::adjective

Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.

Next card: Phlegmatic bile humor phlegm october adjective fleg-mat-ik ancient

Previous card: Nemesis immediately i retribution b october noun nem-uh-siss

Up to card list: Word of the Day