NEUTER, in Grammar, is a term applied to those nouns which are neither masculine nor feminine. The Latins have three genders; the masculine, the feminine, and the neuter. In the modern tongues, however, there is no such thing as a neuter noun.
Verbs Neuter, by some grammarians called intransitive verbs, are those which govern nothing, and are neither active nor passive. When the predication expressed by the verb has no object, and the verb alone supplies the whole idea, then the verb is said to be neuter; as, I sleep, thou yawnest, he sneezes, we walk, ye run, they stand still. Some grammarians divide verbs neuter into those which do not signify any action, but a quality, as albet, it is white; or a situation, as sedet, he sits; or some relation to place, as adest, he is present; or some other state or attribute,
as regnat, he rules; and those which do signify actions, but such only as do not pass into any subject different from the actor, as, to dine, to sup, to play, and the like. But this latter kind sometimes cease to be neuter, and become active, especially in Greek and Latin, when a subject is given them; as, vivere vitam, ambulare viam, pugnare pugnam. In like manner, the old French poets say, Soupirer son tourment; and the English, to sigh his woes. This only obtains, however, where something particular is to be expressed, that is not contained in the verb; as, vivere vitam beatam, to live a happy life; pugnare bonam pugnam, to fight a good fight. However, according to the Abbé de Dangeau, verbs neuter may be divided into active and passive; the former being those which form their tenses in English by the auxiliary verb to have, and in French by avoir; and the latter, those which form them in English with the verb to be, and in French by être. Thus, to sleep, to sneeze, dormir and eternuer, are neuters active; to come, and to arrive, venir and arriver, are neuters passive.