English
subuniversal
From sub- + universal.
Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up; from below’
Proto-Italic *supo ‘under’
Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’
English sub-
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos ‘one’
…
Latin ūniversus ‘whole’
Latin ūniversālis ‘universal, general’
Old French universal ‘universal’
Middle English universal ‘all-encompassing’
English universal
Today it means
adj Less than universal; of limited extent or applicability.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “subuniversal”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / subuniversal