Neuter
/ˈnjuːtər/noun
A grammatical gender category that is neither masculine nor feminine; also, lacking sexual function or characteristics.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin neuter, meaning “neither of the two,” from ne- “not” + uter “which (of two),” making it a built-in linguistic refusal to choose sides.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ne
“negative particle meaning “not””
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂éteros
“other of two, one of a pair”
Latin
Latin
ne uter
“not either (of two), neither one”
Late Latin
Latin
neuter
“neither, of neither sex or kind”
Middle English
English
neuter
“grammatical gender that is neither masculine nor feminine”
Modern English
English
neuter
“a gender category, or lacking sexual function or characteristics”