Neutral

a. [Lat. neutralis, from neuter, It. neutrale, Sp., Pg., & Pr. neutral. See supra.]

1Sense 1. Not engaged on either side; not taking part with either of contending parties; neuter; indifferent; indiscrete.

The heart can not possibly remain neutral, but constantly takes part one way or the other. Shaftesbury.

2Sense 2. Neither very good nor bad; of medium quality; not decided or pronounced.

Some things good, and some things ill, do seem, And neutral some, in her fantastic eye. Davies.

3Sense 3. (Bot.) Having neither stamens nor pistils.

Neutral axis (Mech.), that part or line, in a beam under transverse pressure, at which the fibers are neither stretched nor compressed, or the longitudinal stress is zero.—Neutral salt (Chem.), a salt composed of an equal number of equivalents, both of acid and base; a salt in which none of the properties, either of the acid or base, are perceptible.—Neutral tint, a factitious gray pigment, used in water colors, composed of blue, red, and yellow in various proportions. Fairholt.—Neutral vowel, the vowel heard in the words cur, surf, tub, &c.;—so called on account of its indefinite and imperfect character. See Principles of Pronunciation, §34, Note.

n. A person or nation that takes no part in a contest between others.

The neutral, as far as his commerce extends, becomes a party in the war. R. G. Harper.