Ubiquitous

The adjective ubiquitous (pronounced, with the stress on the second syllable, yoo-BI-kwi-tus, IPA: / juː 'bɪ kwɪ təs/) means ‘present everywhere’ or ‘found everywhere’, as in ‘Fast-food cafés are ubiquitous in British cities these days’ or ‘A survey has revealed that student dissatisfaction is ubiquitous in the university’. There are two related nouns, ubiquity and ubiquitousness (meaning ‘the characteristic or fact of being present everywhere’), and an adverb, ubiquitously.

Ubiquitous is nowadays often used hyperbolically of what is present or found in (surprisingly) many places rather than present or found everywhere, as in ‘During the final week of the election campaign the Prime Minister was ubiquitous’.

Etymological note: Ubiquitous is formed from the Latin adverb ubique, ‘everywhere’, ‘anywhere’.

The word ubique appears prominently above the image of a cannon on the cap badge of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. It is the first word of the regimental motto Ubique quo fas et gloria ducunt (‘Everywhere that duty and glory lead’), the remainder of which appears below the image of the cannon.