utility
noun
- measure of usefulness
- organization maintaining public service infrastructure
- state of being useful
- patentability requirement
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /juːˈtɪlɪti/ / /jʊ-/ / /jə-/
adj
Etymology: From Middle English utilite, from Old French utilite, utilitet (“usefulness”), from Latin ūtilitās, from uti (“to use”). By surface analysis, utile + -ity.
- Having to do with, or owned by, a service provider.
“utility line; utility bill”
- containing or intended for any of a building’s often-utility-related commodity transport, such as pipes or wires, or converting equipment, such as furnaces, water tanks or heaters, circuit breakers, central air conditioning units, laundry facilities, etc.
“utility room; utility corridor”
- Functional rather than attractive.
“"Chocolate and cream," the standard colours of G.W.R. rolling stock for 21 years, are now being replaced by an all-over utility coating of reddish-brown. This is the third time that a uniform brown has been adopted as the standard livery of G.W.R. carriages.”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English utilite, from Old French utilite, utilitet (“usefulness”), from Latin ūtilitās, from uti (“to use”). By surface analysis, utile + -ity.
- The state or condition of being useful; usefulness.
“"The profession has its utility, but I should be sorry to see any friend of mine belonging to it."”
- Something that is useful.
“Undoubtedly it can be said that the humble 0-6-0 has been the backbone for general service, or general utility on British railways right from their earliest days, and is likely to remain so.”
- The ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants; the satisfaction experienced by the consumer of that commodity.
- Well-being, satisfaction, pleasure, or happiness.
- A commodity or service provided on a continuous basis by a physical infrastructure network, such as electricity, water supply or sewerage.
“The complex includes the usual utilities (gas and electricity) and amenities like wifi and a gym (toilets with toiletries).”
“Elsewhere, utility diversion works are still scheduled to continue, with work to move a gas main on Drummond Street set to begin in early 2025.”
- A natural or legal monopoly distributer of such a utility; or, the securities of such a provider.
- A software program other than a game; one that is useful or creative rather than merely entertaining.
“a graphics utility; a music utility”
- A software program designed to perform a single task or a small range of tasks, often to help manage and tune computer hardware, an operating system, or application software.
“Holonyms: app, application, program”
“I've bought a new disk utility that can recover deleted files.”
- The ability to play multiple positions.
- A coupé utility, or ute; an automobile with an open tray or bed behind the passenger cabin.
“Tim Archer got into the utility and drove[.] The car was a 1946 Chevrolet, somewhat battered by four years of station use, a sturdy practical vehicle with a coupé front seat and an open truck body behind.”