1. The dissection, or anatomy, of the nervous system.
2. (Med.) The division of a nerve, for the relief of neuralgia, or for other purposes. Dunglison.
Neurula
(||Neu"ru*la) n. [NL., dim. of Gr. a nerve.] (Zoöl.) An embryo or certain invertebrates in the
stage when the primitive band is first developed.
Neuter
(Neu"ter) a. [L., fr. ne not + uter whether; akin to E. whether. See No, and Whether, and cf.
Neither.]
1. Neither the one thing nor the other; on neither side; impartial; neutral. [Archaic]
In all our undertakings God will be either our friend or our enemy; for Providence never stands neuter.
South. 2. (Gram.) (a) Having a form belonging more especially to words which are not appellations of males
or females; expressing or designating that which is of neither sex; as, a neuter noun; a neuter termination; the
neuter gender. (b) Intransitive; as, a neuter verb.
3. (Biol.) Having no generative organs, or imperfectly developed ones; sexless. See Neuter, n., 3.
Neuter
(Neu"ter), n.
1. A person who takes no part in a contest; one who is either indifferent to a cause or forbears to interfere; a
neutral.
The world's no neuter; it will wound or save.
Young. 2. (Gram.) (a) A noun of the neuter gender; any one of those words which have the terminations usually
found in neuter words. (b) An intransitive verb.
3. (Biol.) An organism, either vegetable or animal, which at its maturity has no generative organs, or
but imperfectly developed ones, as a plant without stamens or pistils, as the garden Hydrangea; esp.,
one of the imperfectly developed females of certain social insects, as of the ant and the common honeybee,
which perform the labors of the community, and are called workers.
Neutral
(Neu"tral) a. [L. neutralis, fr. neuter. See Neuter.]
1. Not engaged on either side; not taking part with or assisting either of two or more contending parties; neuter; indifferent.
The heart can not possibly remain neutral, but constantly takes part one way or the other.
Shaftesbury. 2. Neither good nor bad; of medium quality; middling; not decided or pronounced.
Some things good, and some things ill, do seem,
And neutral some, in her fantastic eye.
Sir J. Davies. 3. (Biol.) Neuter. See Neuter, a., 3.
4. (Chem.) Having neither acid nor basic properties; unable to turn red litmus blue or blue litmus red; —
said of certain salts or other compounds. Contrasted with acid, and alkaline.
Neutral axis, Neutral surface (Mech.), that line or plane, in a beam under transverse pressure, at
which the fibers are neither stretched nor compressed, or where the longitudinal stress is zero. See
Axis. — Neutral equilibrium (Mech.), the kind of equilibrium of a body so placed that when moved
slighty it neither tends to return to its former position not depart more widely from it, as a perfect sphere
or cylinder on a horizontal plane. — Neutral salt (Chem.), a salt formed by the complete replacement
of the hydrogen in an acid or base; in the former case by a positive or basic, in the latter by a negative
