zero, n. & adj.

zero
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zero_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2018

# zeronoun & adjective

## Earlier version

- zero, n. in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the word zero mean?

There are 19 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word zero. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

zero has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

mathematics (early 1600s) measurement (mid 1700s) roulette (1820s) military (1840s) gunnery and firearms (1860s) grammar (1890s) stock market (1980s)

### How common is the word zero?

About 40occurrences per million words in modern written English

1750 | 0.0056
1760 | 0.32
1770 | 0.42
1780 | 0.14
1790 | 0.19
1800 | 0.94
1810 | 0.78
1820 | 1.2
1830 | 2.1
1840 | 2.2
1850 | 3.1
1860 | 3.7
1870 | 6.1
1880 | 8.2
1890 | 10
1900 | 12
1910 | 16
1920 | 18
1930 | 25
1940 | 36
1950 | 44
1960 | 49
1970 | 44
1980 | 46
1990 | 42
2000 | 37
2010 | 37

### How is the word zero pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzɪərəʊ/
ZEER-oh

#### U.S. English

/ˈzɪroʊ/
ZEER-oh
/ˈziroʊ/
ZEER-oh

### Where does the word zero come from?

Earliest known use

early 1600s

The earliest known use of the word zero is in the early 1600s.

OED's earliest evidence for zero is from 1604, in a translation by Edward Grimeston, translator.

zero is of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Spanish. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Italian.

Etymons: Italian zero; Spanish zero; French zéro.

### Nearby entries

1. Zeppelined, adj. 1915–
2. Zeppelining, n. 1915–
3. Zeppelinist, n. 1912–
4. Zeppelinistic, adj. 1930–
5. Zeppelinite, n. 1909–
6. zeppole, n. 1835–
7. zepto-, comb. form
8. zeranol, n. 1971–
9. zerda, n. 1780–1860
10. zerk, n. 1926–
11. zero, n. & adj.1604–
12. zero, v. 1813–
13. zeroable, adj. 1956–
14. zero balance, adj. 1974–
15. zero-base, adj. 1962–
16. zero-based, adj. 1963–
17. zero beat, n. 1920–
18. zero-carbon, adj. 1990–
19. zero-coupon, adj. 1979–
20. zero creep, n. 1904–
21. zero crossing, n. 1941–

## Etymology

### Summary

Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Spanish. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Italian.
Etymons: Italian zero; Spanish zero; French zéro.
Partly (i) < Spanish †zero (1512; now cero),

partly (ii) < French zéro (1485 in Middle French; 1690 as adjective),

and partly (iii) < their etymon Italian zero (late 14th cent.),

all in sense ‘number 0’ <…
Partly (i) < Spanish †zero (1512; now cero),

partly (ii) < French zéro (1485 in Middle French; 1690 as adjective),

and partly (iii) < their etymon Italian zero (late 14th cent.),

all in sense ‘number 0’ < post-classical Latin cifra, cifre, cyfre (early 12th cent.), zephirum (1202 in Leonardo da Pisa) < Arabic ṣifr cipher n.

Compare nullo n. and earlier cipher n., nil n.1

### Notes

Specific senses
In sense A.1b after French zéro (1810 or earlier in this sense).
With the extended uses in sense A.2 and as adjective compare Italian zero nothing (a1484), French zéro worthless or insignificant person or thing (1512 in Middle French).

## Meaning & use

1. noun
   1. 1. 1.a.
         1604–
         The symbol 0, used to denote the absence of quantity; = cipher n. 1.
         The use of a symbol to denote the absence of quantity occurs in several early positional number systems, each having its own symbol (the Maya civilization, for instance, used a glyph of a shell). Such symbols were originally used simply to distinguish between numbers such as 101 and 11, and were at first not considered as representing a number in its own right.
         Now widespread, the symbol ‘0’ originated in what is now India (one of the earliest examples occurring in an inscription dating back to 876 AD) and developed from an earlier symbol, consisting of a large dot, which had previously been used for the same purpose.
         1. 1604

            > They accompted their weekes by thirteene dayes, marking the dayes with a Zero [Spanish zero] or cipher.

            E. Grimeston, translation of J. de Acosta, Naturall & Morall Historie Indies vi. ii. 435
         2. 1706

            > Zero, a Word sometimes us'd especially among the French, for a Cipher or Nought (0).

            Phillips's New World of Words (new edition)
         3. 1799

            > Every letter..marked with a figure followed by a zero.

            Tilloch's Philos. Magazine vol. 2 413
         4. 1854

            > Sometimes the divisor ends with zeros or noughts.

            Orr's Circle of Sciences, Math. Science 16
         5. 1878

            > If we have two zeros in the symbol of a plane the remaining number must always be unity.

            H. P. Gurney, Crystallography 15
         6. 1940

            > The introduction of zero as a symbol denoting the absence of units or of certain powers of ten..has been rated as one of the greatest practical inventions of all time.

            E. T. Bell, Development of Mathematics iii. 48
         7. 1959

            > The Indian system of numerals based on the symbol zero.

            A. Koestler, Sleepwalkers ii. iii. 105
         8. 2014

            > He and his coworkers ludicrously write down ones and zeroes in pencil.

            Daily Telegraph (Nexis) 15 December (Features section) 25
         mathematics
         1. cipher 1399–
            An arithmetical symbol or character (0) of no value by itself, but which increases or decreases the value of other figures according to its position…
         2. cipher in algorism c1475–1628
            The figure 0; (figurative) a person of no significance, a cipher.
         3. nullity 1587–1624
            A nought; a meaningless letter or symbol; a blank (cf. null, n.¹ 1). Obsolete.
         4. nullo 1598–1824
            A nought, a zero; esp. in Typography. Obsolete.
         5. zero 1604–
            The symbol 0, used to denote the absence of quantity; = cipher, n. 1.
         6. null 1648–
            Zero; a nought, a zero; (Mathematics) something equal to zero.
         7. naught 1649–
            The figure or character 0, representing zero; = nought, pron. A.4. Now chiefly U.S.
         8. nought a1660–
            The figure or character 0, representing zero; a zero. Cf. naught, pron. A.3a.
         9. ought 1821–
            A nought, zero, cipher. Frequently in oughts and crosses n. = noughts and crosses, n. Also figurative.
         10. aught 1822–
             A nought, zero. Cf. ought, n.² Now chiefly regional.
         11. oh 1908–
             The Arabic zero, 0; nought. Usually in combination with other numerals. Cf. O, n.³ 1.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
      2. 1.b.
         1823–
         Gambling. The compartment numbered 0 on a roulette table.
         1. 1823

            > The Roulette has hitherto baffled all calculation..there being 35 numbers and the Zeros in favour of the banker.

            Lit. Museum 11 October (Country edition) 646/1
         2. 1859

            > I have been sketching out a little plan of a martingale for the roulette-table. There's only one zero at Homburg, and we can try it there as we go up.

            C. J. Lever, Davenport Dunn xlvi
         3. 1889

            > If for 150 years Roulette has held its own against all comers, it is zero that has done it.

            J.-S. Bond, Roulette 29
         4. 1911

            > The profits of the bank occur when the ball drops into the zero.

            H. Brolaski, Easy Money xxvii. 282
         5. 1957

            > The man who predicts that at the tenth turn of the roulette wheel there will be a zero, wastes his breath.

            Mind vol. 66 16
         6. 2007

            > Without the zero the punter and the casino would be on equal terms.

            M. M. Woolfson & M. S. Woolfson, Math. for Physics xii. 185
         roulette
         1. prison 1793–
            In roulette and related board games: a position on the board where bets are held in abeyance until the next round of play; spec. to put (a stake) in p…
         2. zero 1823–
            Gambling. The compartment numbered 0 on a roulette table.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
      3. 1.c.
         1989–
         In plural with the. The decade from 2000 to 2009. Cf. noughties n.
         1. 1989

            > When the decade after the 1990's ends, where are we? In the zeroes? The aughts?

            W. Safire in New York Times Sunday Magazine 26 February 14/3
         2. 1999

            > The dilemma of what the next decade will be called has been resolved by a poll which gives the nation's choice as ‘The Zeroes’.

            Daily Telegraph 14 July 5/2
         3. 2003

            > She's celebrating joining U2 and Madonna as one of only three entertainers to have hits in the eighties, the nineties and the zeroes.

            P. Morley, Words & Music (2005) iii. 250
         1. seventies 1845–
            With the. The years from seventy to seventy-nine inclusive in a particular century (esp. the nineteenth or twentieth). Also with modifying word…
         2. nineties 1871–
            With possessive adjective. The years of a person's life between turning ninety and one hundred.
         3. twenties 1874–
            plural. The numbers from 20 to 29; the years in a century or of one's life, or the degrees of any scale (e.g. of a thermometer) so numbered.
         4. the fifties 1880–
            the fifties: the years between fifty and sixty in a particular century or in one's life.
         5. the thirties 1880–
            The years of which the numbers begin with 30; the fourth decade of a century.
         6. the forties 1885–
            the forties: the years between 40 and 50 of a century or of one's life.
         7. sixties 1964–
            plural. The years from 60 to 69 in a century or in a person's life. Now spec. the period 1960–9.
         8. aught 1986–
            Chiefly U.S. In plural with the. The decade from 2000 to 2009. Cf. noughties, n.
         9. noughties 1989–
            With the. The decade from 2000 to 2009.
         10. zeros 1989–
             In plural with the. The decade from 2000 to 2009. Cf. noughties, n.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. 2.
      1650–
      A person of no importance or consequence; a worthless or insignificant person; a nobody, a nonentity. Cf. cipher n. 2a.
      Compare the later phrases to go from zero to hero at Phrases P.1 and to go from hero to zero at hero n. Phrases P.4; a similar rhyme is found in quot. a1715.
      1. 1650

         > This makes the Magistrate but a cipher or zero in sacred things.

         L. Du Moulin, Power Christian Magistrate 116
      2. a1715

         > Now tho' I count my self no Zero, I don't pretend to be an Hero.

         M. Monck, Marinda (1716) 124
      3. 1814

         > The other gentlemen are zeroes.

         M. Edgeworth, Patronage vol. II. xxiv. 368
      4. 1861

         > A man who will not work..is as complete a zero in the labour supply as if he were dead.

         Macmillan's Magazine vol. 3 322
      5. 1913

         > The laborer today in our great industrial centers is not a unit, he is a zero.

         St. Andrew's Cross October 15/1
      6. 1967

         > The old man was a big zero.

         W. Murray, Sweet Ride iv. 51
      7. 2014

         > It does kind of reflect on what a complete zero I am that there's no jealousy.

         Toronto Star (Nexis) 28 December e2
      1. thing of nought c1425–
         thing of nought: a mere nothing; a person or thing of no worth or value. Now archaic.
      2. nothing such 1579–
         no (†none) such adj., rarely †no such a; absolute or as pronoun now only none such (cf. none such, no… No great; adverb qualifying as adjective (cf…
      3. of nothing 1583–
         of nothing: of no account, worthless. Now rare.
      4. nullity a1591–
         A mere nothing; a thing of no importance, significance, or worth.
      5. O 1608
         The figure or symbol zero, 0; nought; (hence) a cipher, a mere nothing.
      6. cipher a1616–
         figurative. Of things.
      7. zero 1650–
         A person of no importance or consequence; a worthless or insignificant person; a nobody, a nonentity. Cf. cipher, n. 2a.
      8. fling a1661
         In various uses. Used to express: A thing of no importance.
      9. leather and prunella 1734–
         leather and prunella: an expression for something to which one is utterly indifferent.
      10. small change 1822–
          In figurative and extended uses.
      11. minus quantity 1843–
          A quantity which is negative or preceded by a minus sign; (chiefly colloquial) something insignificant or negligible; a liability, a disadvantage.
      12. nuthin' 1843–
          = nothing, pron. & n.
      13. nothingburger 1953–
          colloquial and often derogatory (originally and chiefly U.S.). A person or thing of no importance, value, or substance. Now esp.: something which, contrary to expectations, turns out to be insignificant or…
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   3. 3.
      Mathematics.
      1. 3.a.
         a1703–
         The absence of quantity considered as a number; nought (nought n. B.1c).
         The earliest example of zero considered as a number in its own right occurs in a manuscript by Indian mathematician Brahmagupta (598–668) dated to the 7th cent. See the note at sense A.1a for a discussion of the earlier role of zero in positional number systems.
         1. a1703

            > Number may be said to beigin [sic] from Nought Cifer or Zero.

            R. Hooke, Present State Natural Philosophy in Posthumous Works (1705) 66
         2. 1792

            > The exponent is always a whole affirmative or negative number, or zero.

            M. Taylor, Tables Logarithms 3
         3. 1834

            > Unless my Algebra deceive me, Unity itself divided by Zero will give Infinity.

            T. Carlyle, Sartor Resartus ii. ix. 69/1
         4. 1884

            > By making the quantities..all equal to zero, we have a linear function.

            American Journal of Mathematics vol. 6 47
         5. 1930

            > Angle BOP must always be of magnitude greater than zero.

            Math. News Letter November 16
         6. 1988

            > Ordinary numbers do commute: a multiplied by b equals b multiplied by a; so ab minus ba equals zero.

            New Scientist 11 August 53/1
         7. 2009

            > You cannot divide by zero.

            M. Gessen, Perfect Rigor viii. 143
         mathematics
         1. nothing Old English–
            Not any (material or immaterial) thing; nought. Unqualified or with qualifying phrase or adverb.
         2. not a1425–1603
            Nought, nothing. Obsolete.
         3. nichil a1513–1670
            Nothing, naught. Also as a count noun: a thing of no worth or value. Cf. nihil, n. 1.
         4. nowhat 1530–
            Nothing.
         5. zero a1703–
            Mathematics. The absence of quantity considered as a number; nought (nought, n. B.1c).
         6. nuffin 1837–
            = nothing, pron. & n. Frequently (nonstandard) as part of a multiple negative construction.
         7. nuttin' 1852–
            = nothing, pron. & n.
         8. nada 1867–
            Nothing; nothingness, non-existence; a state or condition as of non-existence.
         9. bupkis 1937–
            Absolutely nothing, nil.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
         1. nothing?c1425–
            That which is not any number or quantity; a figure or character representing this; zero. Also: a score of no points in a game; a measurement of…
         2. nought?c1425–
            Not any quantity or number, zero; = naught, pron. A.3b.
         3. zero a1703–
            Mathematics. The absence of quantity considered as a number; nought (nought, n. B.1c).
         4. naught 1864–
            U.S. Not any quantity or number, zero; = nought, n. B.1c.
         5. nowt 1865–
            regional and colloquial. Not any quantity or number, zero; = nought, n. B.1c.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
         1. naught Old English–1649
            Wickedness, evil, moral wrong. Cf. nought, pron. A.3b. Obsolete.
         2. none Old English–
            Followed by of. In Old English chiefly with genitive. Not any (one) of a number of people or things. Also: neither of two persons or things (now reg…
         3. nil c1550–
            Nothing, no amount, zero (now frequently in scoring at sporting matches, etc.).
         4. naughts 1559–93
            Nothing.
         5. zero a1703–
            Mathematics. The absence of quantity considered as a number; nought (nought, n. B.1c).
         View in Historical Thesaurus
      2. 3.b.
         1873–
         A value of a variable for which a function vanishes.
         1. 1873

            > A certain singly periodic function of the second order has ½π for its period, 0 and ¼π for zeros, and ⅛π for a double infinite.

            Harvard University Catalogue 1872–3 272
         2. 1893

            > The number of distinct zeros in the limited area is finite.

            A. R. Forsyth, Theory of Functions of Complex Variable 62
         3. 1902

            > A polynomial of degree n has n zeros.

            E. T. Whittaker, Course of Modern Analysis 94
         4. 1955

            > An elliptic function is determined..by the location and multiplicity of its zeros and poles.

            Transactions Amer. Math. Society vol. 78 65
         5. 2007

            > The prime number theorem depended on the zeros of the zeta function.

            B. Fine & G. Rosenberger, Number Theory iv. 135
         mathematics
         1. zero 1873–
            Mathematics. A value of a variable for which a function vanishes.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
         1. maximum 1646–
            Mathematics. The greatest value which a variable or function takes, either in a particular neighbourhood or throughout its domain; (gen.) the…
         2. minimum 1646–
            Mathematics. The smallest value which a variable or a function takes, either in a particular neighbourhood or throughout its domain; (more…
         3. nullity 1710–1891
            Philosophy and Mathematics. A thing which is equivalent to zero; an argument for which a function has the value of zero; an instance of a property…
         4. argument 1840–
            Mathematics. The variable whose value determines the value of a given function; a member of the list of variables whose values together determine…
         5. modulus 1843–
            Mathematics. A constant multiplier, coefficient, or parameter involved in a given function, transformation, etc.; spec. †(a) the constant ratio of…
         6. zero 1873–
            Mathematics. A value of a variable for which a function vanishes.
         7. local maximum 1891–
            Any of a sequence of values which is greater than or equal to those adjacent to it; (in later use) esp. a value of a function which is greater than…
         8. local minimum 1891–
            Any of a sequence of values which is less than or equal to those adjacent to it; (in later use) esp. a value of a function which is less than or…
         9. range 1891–
            Mathematics. The set of values that the dependent variable of a function can take; the set comprising all the second elements of the ordered pairs…
         10. extremum 1904–
             A value of a function that is a maximum or a minimum (either relative or absolute).
         11. interpolate 1920–
             A value arrived at by interpolation.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
   4. 1. 4.a.
         1761–
         A point or line represented by 0 on an instrument or device, used as the basis for taking measurements.
         1. 1761

            > For 40 degrees below zero, in Fahrenheit's thermometer, is equal to 210 degrees of that of De Lisle.

            Philosophical Transactions 1760 (Royal Society) vol. 51 672
         2. 1795

            > When the instrument is adjusted, and the index belonging to the micrometer-screw stands at the zero on its circle.

            Philosophical Transactions (Royal Society) vol. 85 446
         3. 1823

            > Thermometers sunk down to..zero.

            Lord Byron, Don Juan: Canto X xxxiii. 69
         4. 1890

            > These rollers are fixed in such a manner as to turn in a circumference concentric with the zero of the alidade.

            W. F. Stanley, Surveying Instruments 439
         5. 1917

            > Last night was a blighter—the thermometer has touched zero once or twice lately and last night it went below.

            J. Martin, Diary 6 February in Sapper Martin (2010) 50
         6. 1921

            > The owner of the establishment is provided with a key which can move the hand of the registering dial back to zero.

            Gas Manuf., Distribution & Use (British Commerc. Gas Association) ii. 92/1
         7. 1995

            > I loved that little car, even with its temperamental windshield wiper, weather-worn canvas top, and speedometer pegged permanently at zero.

            Green Mountain Trading Post 20 September 4/1
         measurement
         1. zero 1761–
            A point or line represented by 0 on an instrument or device, used as the basis for taking measurements.
         2. zero-line 1834–
            A line represented by 0 on a scale or instrument, used as the basis for taking measurements; (also) a value from which a positive or negative…
         3. auto-zero 1936–
            A facility by which a zero is automatically produced, esp. in an instrument reading or an input.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
      2. 4.b.
         1790–
         The lowest value in a scale, order, or ranking; a value from which a positive or negative quantity is reckoned.
         1. 1790

            > It has been usual to fix on the point, at which the areometer properly ballanced, sinks in pure distilled water, as the zero of the scale.

            Critical Review November 554
         2. 1840

            > The French adopt as their zero of longitude the meridian which passes through the Observatory at Paris.

            D. Lardner, Treatise on Geometry 208
         3. 1881

            > Clouds will be recorded on a scale from zero to ten, zero being clear and ten cloudy.

            Annual Rep. Chief Signal Officer 745
         4. 1929

            > They occupy a neutral position, or zero, on the scale running from +100 to -100.

            International Journal Ethics vol. 39 265
         5. 1969

            > Zero on the Beaufort scale is a calm with winds of less than one mile per hour.

            Gastonia (North Carolina) Gazette 30 September 5b/3
         6. 1987

            > The beaches at Melenara on Grand Canary Island and the Ereaga beach near Bilbao are among the filthiest and most insanitary in Spain... All three scored zero on a rating system of 1 to 5.

            Times (Nexis) 26 June
         7. 2006

            > The Apgar score..allowed nurses to rate the condition of babies at birth on a scale from zero to ten. An infant got two points if it was pink all over.

            New Yorker 9 October 64/1
      3. 4.c.
         1800–
         The temperature corresponding to 0° on the Celsius scale (32° Fahrenheit), marking the freezing point of water.
         absolute zero: see the first element.
         1. 1800

            > That the melting of ice produces cold, is proved by the custom which confectioners have of melting certain salts with ice to produce a cold below zero.

            translation of E. J. B. Bouillon-Lagrange, Manual of Course of Chemistry vol. I. 78
         2. 1860

            > He..maintains..the opinion, that ice has always an inner temperature lower than zero.

            J. Tyndall, Glaciers of Alps ii. xiv. 302
         3. 1958

            > In the Antarctic..the crunch of snow under a boot can be heard for a mile. The sensation is eerie. This happens only when the temperature is far below zero.

            A. Marshack, World in Space iv. 71
         4. 1995

            > Temperatures on the Pennines fell below zero last night, turning roads to ice.

            Independent (Nexis) 27 January 3
         5. 2009

            > As they got closer to Canada, temperatures climbed toward zero, and they were slowed by melting ice.

            New Yorker 6 April 54/1
         1. cipher 1796–1815
            The zero-point, or zero, of a thermometer. U.S.
         2. zero 1800–
            The temperature corresponding to 0° on the Celsius scale (32° Fahrenheit), marking the freezing point of water.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
      4. 4.d.
         1821–
         figurative. The lowest point or degree; the nadir.
         1. 1821

            > Sure my invention must be down at zero.

            Lord Byron, Don Juan: Canto III cx. 63
         2. 1867

            > I got to coughing incessantly, and my voice fell below zero.

            ‘M. Twain’, Celebrated Jumping Frog 61
         3. 1894

            > Man began the Ascent of Civilization at zero.

            H. Drummond, Lowell Lectures on Ascent of Man 176
         4. 1952

            > Spirits at zero this morning, although I feel a great deal better.

            M. Kennedy, Troy Chimneys (1985) 16
         5. 2005

            > At that point I was at zero. I felt terrible and tired and everything hurt.

            Express (Nexis) 6 September 56
         1. nothing Old English–
            Not any (material or immaterial) thing; nought. Unqualified or with qualifying phrase or adverb.
         2. nought Old English–
            That which does not exist, nothingness. Cf. naught, pron. A.1. Now archaic and rare.
         3. zero 1821–
            figurative. The lowest point or degree; the nadir.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
         1. low tide 1608–
            The lowest or most depressed state of something or someone; the lowest ebb, the nadir. Cf. tide, n. II.9, ebb, n. 2b.
         2. low-water mark 1651–
            figurative. The lowest possible level; a low point, a nadir. Cf. low water, n. A.2.
         3. fall a1662–80
            The lowest point reached by something. Obsolete.
         4. perigee 1662–
            figurative. A lowest point, a nadir. Cf. apogee, n. 3. Now rare.
         5. low point 1749–
            The worst state of, or lowest level reached by, something; the nadir; (also) the least interesting, enjoyable, commendable, etc., part or moment of…
         6. bathos 1759–
            Depth; lowest phase, bottom.
         7. nadir 1793
            Extended uses. The lowest or worst point (of something); the place or time of greatest depression, degradation, etc.
         8. pessimism 1794–1844
            The character or quality of being the worst; the worst condition possible or imaginable; the state of greatest deterioration. Contrasted with optimism…
         9. zero 1821–
            figurative. The lowest point or degree; the nadir.
         10. bedrock 1864–
             figurative. Originally U.S. Cf. rock-bottom, n. A.2. The point of penury or desperation; the condition of being completely out of money or barely…
         11. rock-bottom 1885–
             figurative. Originally U.S. The lowest possible level; the nadir. Frequently in to reach (also hit) rock bottom and variants.
         12. ultima Thule 1976–
             transferred. As the type of the extreme limit of travel and discovery, chiefly (after Latin usage) in the phrase ultima Thule (farthest Thule)…
         View in Historical Thesaurus
         1. gamut 1675
            The lowest point. Obsolete. rare.
         2. nadir 1793
            Extended uses. The lowest or worst point (of something); the place or time of greatest depression, degradation, etc.
         3. zero 1821–
            figurative. The lowest point or degree; the nadir.
         4. rock-bottom 1885–
            figurative. Originally U.S. The lowest possible level; the nadir. Frequently in to reach (also hit) rock bottom and variants.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
      5. 4.e.
         1849–
         The initial point of a process or sequence of events; the starting point, the absolute beginning; (Military) the time or day when an attack or operation is due to begin. Formerly also in †hour of zero. Cf. zero hour n. 1, ground zero n.
         1. 1849

            > The vegetation of the Silurian system, from its upper beds down till where we reach the zero of life.

            H. Miller, Foot-prints of Creator 193
         2. 1866

            > He..makes 1788 his zero of human history.

            J. Martineau, Essays Philosophical & Theological 1st Series 7
         3. 1915

            > Message says: ‘Operation order 110 holds good. The hour of zero for tomorrow will be communicated later.’

            G. J. Matkin, Diary 24 September in M. Brown, Imperial War Mus. Book of Western Front (1993) ii. vi. 78
         4. 1916

            > Zero, the time the gas and smoke was to start, was 5.50 a.m.

            King's Royal Rifle Corps Chron. 1915 104
         5. 1920

            > The day and hour of zero: 20th August, 4.40 o'clock.

            Journal Royal United Service Inst. February 432
         6. 1942

            > It should be assumed..that zero [for an attack on Madagascar] should be about April 30.

            W. S. Churchill in Second World War (1950) vol. IV. i. xiii. 225
         7. 1983

            > The main body was ordered to Thiepval..timing their arrival for Zero plus two hours..to stride on to consolidate the third objective.

            L. MacDonald, Somme v. 41
         8. 2005

            > At zero minus five minutes a siren wailed across the desert and a green rocket flared up into the sky.

            Sunday Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 7 August 46
         military
         1. zero 1849–
            The initial point of a process or sequence of events; the starting point, the absolute beginning; (Military) the time or day when an attack or…
         2. zero day 1917–
            Military. The day on which a military operation is scheduled to begin. Also in extended use: the day on which any significant event or activity is…
         3. Z-day 1925–
            = zero day, n. 1.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
         1. terminus a quo 1549–
            A starting point; a point of origin; an initial impulse, a motive. Frequently contrasted with terminus ad quem, n. 1.
         2. starting place 1570–
            The place in or from which a person or thing starts (in various senses); a starting point; (in later use sometimes spec.) the place occupied by a…
         3. term a1628
            That to which movement or action is directed or tends; an object, an end, a goal. Occasionally also: a starting point, an origin. Now somewhat rare.
         4. salient motion 1664–
            Similarly, †salient motion.
         5. salient point a1682–
            salient point: in old medical use, the heart as it first appears in an embryo (cf. quot. 1706); hence, the first beginning of life or motion; the…
         6. punctum saliens 1695–
            figurative. A starting point; a source or origin of life or activity. In later use also: the heart of a matter, the central or most important point…
         7. starting point 1782–
            The point from which a person or thing starts; a point of departure in a journey, argument, narration, development, etc.
         8. Adam and Eve 1793–
            A starting point, an origin; a set of progenitors, ancestors, or forebears.
         9. starting ground 1802–
            a. A basis from which something (e.g. a sequence of events or an argument) starts; b. the place where those taking part in a race, hunt, etc…
         10. point of departure 1804–
             The starting point of a journey, etc.; (now chiefly figurative) the starting point of a line of thought or course of action; also attributive (as poi…
         11. baseline 1836–
             A minimum or starting point used for comparisons or development of thought.
         12. home position 1840–
             a. One's position or standing at home; b. a starting or default position.
         13. point de départ 1848–
             = point of departure n. at point, n.¹ phrases P.2c; frequently figurative.
         14. zero 1849–
             The initial point of a process or sequence of events; the starting point, the absolute beginning; (Military) the time or day when an attack or…
         15. start point 1860–
             = starting point, n.
         16. jumping-board 1878–
             A spring-board; also figurative.
         17. start-off 1885–
             a. An act or the action of starting off (to start off at start, v. phrasal verbs PV.1); b. a point of starting off; a starting point; also attributive…
         18. jumping-off board 1914–
             = jumping-board, n.
         19. jumping-off point 1927–
         20. starting block 1932–
             In figurative contexts, with reference to the start of any enterprise, activity, etc.
         21. square one 1952–
             square one: the beginning, the starting-point. Frequently as back to (also in, on) square one.
         22. ground zero 1957–
             Chiefly North American. The beginning, the starting point. Cf. square one.
         23. launch pad 1958–
             figurative. Something by means of which a particular activity, enterprise, etc., is initiated or set in motion; a starting point. Also…
         View in Historical Thesaurus
         1. hour of zero 1915–
            The initial point of a process or sequence of events; the starting point, the absolute beginning; (Military) the time or day when an attack or…
         2. zero hour 1915–
            The time at which a military operation is scheduled to begin. Also in extended use: the time at which any (typically significant) event is…
         3. jump-off 1918–
            The start of a military operation or campaign. U.S. slang.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
   5. 1. 5.a.
         1823–
         Nil, no amount; none at all.
         1. 1823

            > Though your years as man tend fast to zero.

            Lord Byron, Don Juan: Canto IX ii. 6
         2. 1872

            > Dante's direct acquaintance with Plato may be reckoned at zero.

            J. R. Lowell, Dante in Prose Works (1890) vol. IV. 155
         3. 1936

            > The position of equilibrium, under conditions of laissez-faire, will be one in which employment is low enough and the standard of life sufficiently miserable to bring savings to zero.

            J. M. Keynes, General Theory of Employment xvi. 218
         4. 1979

            > There can be no dose so low that the risk is zero.

            New Scientist 5 April 18/1
         5. 2001

            > If any convict managed to get out.., his chances of escape would still be zero.

            Sun 27 January 18/3
         1. nought Old English–
            That which does not exist, nothingness. Cf. naught, pron. A.1. Now archaic and rare.
         2. devil hae't c1590–
            Not a whit; very little; nothing at all. Cf. devil a haet at haet, n. 1a.
         3. neither tip nor toe 1610
            neither tip nor toe: not a particle or trace, none at all.
         4. nix 1781–
            Nothing; nobody.
         5. damn the haet 1787–
            damn the haet (formerly also †damned haet): nothing at all. Cf. damn all, n.
         6. no nothing 1815–
            colloquial. no nothing: absolutely nothing, nothing at all.
         7. zero 1823–
            Nil, no amount; none at all.
         8. all 1842–
            In various formations modelled on damn all (see damn all, n.), in which damn is replaced with other swear words, oaths, and expletives, or…
         9. neither hide nor hair 1857–
            In collocation with hair, esp. in (in) hide and hair: wholly, entirely; neither hide nor hair: nothing whatever. (So Dutch huid en haar.)
         10. zip 1900–
             Nothing at all, zero; (in negative constructions) anything at all; the least thing. Cf. zilch, n.
         11. nixie 1906–
             = nix, n.¹ B.a. rare.
         12. niente 1908–
             Nothing (more), not anything. Also as int.
         13. damn all 1910–
             Nothing at all, absolutely nothing.
         14. fuck-all 1916–
             coarse slang. Nothing at all; (in negative constructions) anything at all; the least thing. Also sweet fuck all (cf. Fanny Adams, n. 2, S.F.A., n.).
         15. Fanny Adams 1919–
             slang. Nothing at all. Chiefly in sweet Fanny Adams in the same sense.
         16. bugger-all 1921–
             Nothing at all, absolutely nothing.
         17. S.F.A. 1933–
             Sweet Fanny Adams (cf. F.A., n., Fanny Adams, n. 2).
         18. not a sausage 1938–
             transferred and figurative. Colloquial phrase not a sausage (and variants), nothing at all.
         19. shit 1949–
             Now chiefly coarse slang. In negative contexts: anything at all, the least thing. In positive contexts: nothing at all.
         20. zilch 1956–
             Nothing at all, zero; (in negative constructions) anything at all; the least thing. Cf. zip, n.²
         21. eff-all 1958–
             = fuck-all, n.
         22. sod all 1958–
             Nothing at all, absolutely nothing.
         23. diddly-squat 1963–
             As a count noun: a thing of little value or significance; esp. in not to give a diddly-squat. As a mass noun: nothing at all; (in negative…
         24. diddly 1964–
             = diddly-squat, n.
         25. jack-all 1965–
             Nothing at all; (in negative constructions) anything at all; the least thing. Cf. jackshit, n., jack squat, n.
         26. zippo 1973–
             Nothing at all; nought, zero. Also as adj.: no, not any, zero. Cf. zip, n.², zilch, n.
         27. feck-all 1975–
             = fuck-all, n.
         28. hee-haw 1975–
             Scottish colloquial. Nothing at all, absolutely nothing.
         29. naff all 1977–
             Nothing at all. Frequently euphemistic for fuck-all, n.
         30. jack squat 1986–
             Nothing at all; (in negative constructions) anything at all. Cf. jack-all, n., jackshit, n.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
      2. 5.b.
         1858–
         Nothing; the absence or lack of anything; esp. the absence of anything significant or important. Also: an instance of this. Cf. zilch n., zip n.2
         1. 1858

            > Whatever the answer now be from England, I will have nothing to do with it..to me it shall be zero.

            T. Carlyle, History of Friedrich II of Prussia vol. II. vi. ix. 126
         2. 1870

            > He is not surrounded with a vast zero, an all-absorbing negation.

            H. Macmillan, True Vine (1872) iii. 82
         3. 1967

            > True, there is a certain amount of ‘freedom’ in their use but the wearing of them adds up to absolutely zero!

            Boston Globe 21 May (Confidential Chat) 8/3
         4. 1977

            > ‘What about the airlines, the hotel, car rentals.’ ‘Zero, I'd have used phony paper, wouldn't you?’

            C. McCarry, Secret Lovers xii. 159
         5. 2007

            > Suddenly, money wasn't important. Fame and status meant zero to me.

            G. Foreman & K. Abraham, God in my Corner ix. 108
   6. 6.
      1869–
      Firearms. A position of a gunsight, typically found by trial shooting, which over a certain distance makes allowance for elevation, wind deflection, and the bullet's trajectory. Cf. to zero in 1 at zero v. Phrasal verbs.
      1. 1869

         > The rifles were shot at 12½ yards to get the zero on the tangent-scale.

         Philosophical Transactions 1868 (Royal Society) vol. 158 445
      2. 1913

         > If a little team practice is possible, the lateral zeros of all rifles should be got into harmony.

         A. G. Fulton, Notes on Rifle Shooting 22
      3. 1955

         > The zero is an individual matter between the shooter and his rifle.

         Rifle Marksmanship Instr. (U.S. Dept. Army Pamphlet 23-2) vii.
      4. 1988

         > First we obtained a reasonable zero at 25 yards.

         Guns & Weapons Winter 75/2
      5. 2010

         > The officers to whom the rifles are issued will still have to..check the zero for themselves.

         P. Sweeney, Gunsmithing: the AR-15 xviii. 235/1
      gunnery and firearms
   7. 7.
      1891–
      Linguistics. The absence of a linguistic feature (such as an inflection, or a phonetic or syntactic element) in a position in which one previously existed, or where one is present in corresponding positions elsewhere.
      Conventionally represented in linguistic analysis by the symbol Ø.
      1. 1891

         > In Sanskrit Grammar, this ‘lopa’ is considered as a substitute or âdes̱a, and as such this grammatical zero has all the rights and liabilities of the thing it replaces.

         S. C. Vasu, Ashṭádhyáyí of Pánini 56
      2. 1914

         > If..we take into view..amo ‘I love’, amāvit ‘he loved’, amētur ‘he may be loved’, it is possible to call them all related by affixation, the kernel being am-... In this instance the group does not contain a word that equals the kernel, or, as we might say, has ‘affix zero’.

         L. Bloomfield, Introduction to Study of Language v. 154
      3. 1933

         > In sheep : sheep the plural-suffix is replaced by zero.

         L. Bloomfield, Language xiii. 209
      4. 1972

         > With time adjuncts, omission of the preposition is usual whether the pronoun is that or zero..: That is the time (that) he arrives (at).

         R. Quirk et al., Grammar of Contemporary English xiii. 866
      5. 2003

         > The first instance of ‘speake’ takes zero, since its subject is the pronoun ‘they’, while the second takes -s, since its subject is the relative pronoun ‘that’.

         J. Hope, Shakespeare's Grammar (2015) ii. 162
      grammar
   8. 8.
      1982–
      Finance. Short for zero-coupon adj.
      1. 1982

         > Zeros are also an attractive way to give financial gifts to minors.

         Changing Times July 8/1
      2. 2015

         > In the initial instance investors focused on the possible tax benefits of zeros.

         C. O'Malley, Bonds without Borders iv. 77
      stock market
      1. security bond 1692–
         a. Chiefly Law security (security, n. II.5) put up as a bond, recognizance, or guarantee of good behaviour; b. Finance (usually in plural) a bond…
      2. bank annuities 1701–
         Certain classes of British government bonds; (frequently) spec. consolidated 3 per cent annuities (see consolidated, adj. 1b).
      3. government securities 1707–
         a. = government paper, n.; †b. slang handcuffs; fetters (obsolete).
      4. Sword-blade bond 1707–
         attributive. Sword-blade bond, Sword-blade note, one of the securities issued by the Sword-blade Company, a speculative company in London…
      5. long bond 1720–
         A bond which matures after a long period of time, typically twenty or more years.
      6. government paper 1774–
         Bonds, exchequer-bills, etc., issued by a government.
      7. indent 1788–
         A certificate of a money claim or the like; spec. an indented certificate issued by the U.S. Government, or by a state government, at the end of the…
      8. premium bond 1820–
         A bond earning no interest but eligible for lotteries; spec. (in full Premium Savings Bond) since 1956, a British government security that offers…
      9. defence bond 1823–
         A bond issued by a government to raise money for military defence.
      10. active 1835–64
          Finance. British. A bond that begins to accrue interest upon issue. Cf. sense A.I.5b. Obsolete.
      11. preference bond 1848–
          A bond which entitles the holder to a fixed dividend, the payment of which takes priority over that of ordinary bonds.
      12. investment bond 1853–
          A bond issued by a government or public company, purchased as a means of investment, and offering a return comprising interest payments and capital…
      13. mortgage bond 1853–
          a. U.S. a bond secured by a mortgage and issued by a mortgage lender; b. South African a mortgage (mortgage, n. 2a).
      14. revenue bond 1853–
          A type of bond which is issued to raise funds for a specific public project, and is redeemable against the project's future revenue.
      15. municipal bond 1858–
          A security issued by a local authority or its agent to finance local projects, the interest on which is generally exempt from federal income tax…
      16. treasury-bond 1858–
          An exchequer bond.
      17. investment certificate 1861–
          A bond or note issue offering a guaranteed minimum return comprising interest payments and capital repayment; a document certifying such a…
      18. defence loan bond 1865–
          A bond issued by a government to raise money for military defence; = defence bond, n.
      19. sices 1867–
          plural. In various elliptic uses. Bonds bearing interest at 6 per cent.
      20. property bond 1869–
          a. Finance a bond or share in property; b. U.S. a bail bond in the form of property.
      21. government 1870–
          U.S. In plural. Short for government securities, n.
      22. priority bond 1884–
          = preference bond, n.
      23. municipal 1888–
          U.S. Finance slang. = municipal bond, n. Usually in plural.
      24. income bonds 1889–
          Bonds of a corporation or company, the interest of which is not cumulative, secured by a lien upon the net income of each several year, after…
      25. yearling 1889–
          Finance. In early use: a bond redeemable after one year. In later use usually: British a bond issued by a local authority, typically redeemable…
      26. war baby 1916–
          U.S. slang. In plural. Stocks likely to increase in value because of a war, such as stocks in arms companies or metal manufacturers; stocks in…
      27. Liberty Bond 1917–
          Any of a series of interest-bearing war bonds issued by the U.S. government in 1917–18; cf. Liberty Loan, n.
      28. Liberty Loan 1917–
          a. A loan raised by the Russian provisional government in 1917 following the February Revolution; b. each of the four issues of Liberty Bonds…
      29. victory bond 1917–
          A bond issued by the Canadian and British governments during or immediately after the war of 1914–18.
      30. corporate 1922–
          North American Finance. In plural. Securities or bonds issued by a private company (as opposed to those issued by a government, etc.). Cf. corporate…
      31. performance bond 1938–
          A bond issued by a bank, etc., guaranteeing the fulfilment of a particular contract.
      32. convertible 1957–
          A convertible bond, etc.
      33. Eurobond 1966–
          A bond issued in a Eurocurrency (cf Euro-, comb. form affix 3).
      34. Euroconvertible 1968–
          a. adj. Of or designating a Eurobond, Euro-issue, etc., having the right of conversion into another type of security; b. n. a Eurobond…
      35. managed bond 1972–
          A bond which is invested by a fund manager on behalf of the owner.
      36. muni 1973–
          = municipal bond, n. Usually in plural.
      37. granny bond 1976–
          (A familiar name for) an index-linked National Savings certificate available originally only to a person of pensionable age.
      38. bulldog bond 1980–
          Stock Exchange jargon. bulldog bond, a sterling bond issued by an overseas borrower. Also bulldog issue, bulldog market, etc., and absol.
      39. Euro 1981–
          Finance. = Eurobond, n.
      40. granny 1981–
          Short for granny bond, n.
      41. strip 1982–
          U.S. Commerce. In full strip bond: a fixed-interest bond of which the principal and interest coupons are sold separately to investors. Cf. strip, v.¹…
      42. zero 1982–
          Finance. Short for zero-coupon, adj.
      43. dim sum bond 2010–
          (A name for) a bond denominated in Chinese renminbi or yuan, but issued outside mainland China.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
2. adjective
   1. 1.
      1836–
      Characterized by a temperature of zero degrees or below; freezing cold. Cf. sense A.4c, and subzero adj.
      1. 1836

         > The congealings, watchings and exhaustions of a journey of four hundred miles, prosecuted night and day, in a zero atmosphere.

         T. D. Weld, Letter in Vermont Tel. 28 April 1/5
      2. 1854

         > One is as sensible of the cold here, as in the zero atmosphere of America.

         N. Hawthorne, Journal 28 December in English Notebooks (1997) vol. I. ii. 148
      3. 1884

         > I can keep my..hens warm even in zero weather.

         E. P. Roe in Harper's Magazine January 288/2
      4. 1911

         > The air in the passing through the vent duct must overcome the gravity pressure of the zero air.

         Industrial Engin. September 190/1
      5. 1982

         > Suddenly the child In all her innocence was underneath The ice in zero water.

         J. Parini, Anthracite Country 54
      6. 2011

         > In zero weather, my brother saw her shivering in her thin cloth coat.

         Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) (Nexis) 8 November a6
      1. freezing a1616–
         That freezes, in senses of the verb. Frequently of drizzle, fog, rain, etc.
      2. zero 1836–
         Characterized by a temperature of zero degrees or below; freezing cold. Cf. sense A.4c, and subzero, adj.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. 2.
      In attributive use: no, not any.
      1. 2.a.
         1858–
         With plural count noun.
         1. 1858

            > Her paddles rotate about 27 feet per second, leaving a retrograde slip..at 14 feet below the center of her shaft of zero feet per second.

            Hunt's Merchant's Magazine September 277
         2. 1941

            > [Another pilot] swept over them ‘at zero feet’ and blew large holes in the wings and fuselage.

            Times 21 October 4/6
         3. 1966

            > Ashbrook voted ‘right’ zero times and ‘wrong’ 19 times.

            Daily Jeffersonian (Cambridge, Ohio) 20 October 17/4
         4. 1976

            > Because he had zero toads, Howard had to content himself with the tub of thin green gruel.

            New Yorker 24 May 28/1
         5. 2017

            > He and his team still seem spooked by Ukip—a party now with zero MPs.

            Western Mail (Nexis) 27 March 7
      2. 2.b.
         1882–
         With mass noun.
         Sometimes, esp. in non-technical contexts, with stronger emphasis, meaning ‘absolutely no, no..whatsoever’.
         1. 1882

            > The surface of still water is agitated by wave disturbances proceeding from three fixed points..: find the points of zero disturbance.

            G. M. Minchin, Uniplanar Kinematics 25
         2. 1960

            > A subject indicated zero social distance by stating that he was willing to marry a member of a particular ethnic group.

            Journal Abnormal & Social Psychology vol. 61 110/1
         3. 1962

            > Good design points include ‘zero torque’.

            Times 30 October 4/6
         4. 1981

            > Jackie claims they now have ‘zero communication’.

            TV Picture Life March 39/3
         5. 2015

            > The Yankees had zero hope for either this year, and each player performed like an all-star.

            New York Magazine 21 September 20/1

### Phrases

1. P.1.
   1893–
   Originally U.S. to go from zero to hero and variants: to experience a sudden increase in popularity or success, esp. having previously been in a position of low achievement or esteem. Cf. to go from hero to zero at hero n. Phrases P.4.
   A similar rhyme, with the same sense of zero, is found in quot. a1715 at sense A.2.
   1. 1893

      > The graduations are as clearly marked by which he ascends from zero to hero, as the lines of latitude from the North Pole to the Equator.

      F. E. Willard, Address 2nd Biennial Convent. World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union 5
   2. 1938

      > Leave it up to this up-and-at-'em Yankee to triumph over trouble..rise from zero to hero..and win a lovely lady's heart!

      Dunkirk (New York) Evening Observer 26 February 18/5 (advertisement)
   3. 1985

      > Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith portray two youths who go from zeroes to heroes in a single weekend—thanks to some help from the supernatural.

      Syracuse (New York) Herald-Amer. 28 July (Stars Magazine) 3/2
   4. 2011

      > He has gone from zero to hero in his party during the phone-hacking scandal.

      Times 23 July 30/2
   U.S. English
2. P.2.
   1. 1984–
      zero-to-hero adjective
      Relating to or involving a sudden increase in popularity or success. Cf. hero-to-zero at hero n. Phrases P.4.
      1. 1984

         > It truly was a zero-to-hero night.

         Sun (Lowell, Massachusetts) 25 October 37/2
      2. 1996

         > He had already gone for the Zero-to-Hero route.

         F. Popcorn & L. Marigold, Clicking iii. 431
      3. 2016

         > They [sc.the Rams] were the talk of the NFL, with Warner providing one of the all-time great zero-to-hero stories in sports.

         Buffalo (New York) News (Nexis) 17 January b17

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzɪərəʊ/
ZEER-oh

### U.S. English

/ˈzɪroʊ/
ZEER-oh
/ˈziroʊ/
ZEER-oh

###
Plural: zeroes

### British English

/ˈzɪərəʊz/
ZEER-ohz

### U.S. English

/ˈzɪroʊz/
ZEER-ohz
/ˈziroʊz/
ZEER-ohz

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Inflections

Plural: zeroes ( British English /ˈzɪərəʊz/ (ZEER-ohz) , U.S. English /ˈzɪroʊz/ (ZEER-ohz) , /ˈziroʊz/ (ZEER-ohz) )

## Frequency

zero is one of the 5,000 most common words in modern written English. It is similar in frequency to words like concrete, conference, evident, impression, and matrix.

It typically occurs about 40 times per million words in modern written English.

zero is in frequency band 6, which contains words occurring between 10 and 100 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zero, n. & adj., 1750–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1750 | 0.0056
1760 | 0.32
1770 | 0.42
1780 | 0.14
1790 | 0.19
1800 | 0.94
1810 | 0.78
1820 | 1.2
1830 | 2.1
1840 | 2.2
1850 | 3.1
1860 | 3.7
1870 | 6.1
1880 | 8.2
1890 | 10
1900 | 12
1910 | 16
1920 | 18
1930 | 25
1940 | 36
1950 | 44
1960 | 49
1970 | 44
1980 | 46
1990 | 42
2000 | 37
2010 | 37

### Frequency of zero, n. & adj., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 1.0
2018 | 1.2
2019 | 1.5
2020 | 2.7
2021 | 3.3
2022 | 3.8
2023 | 3.4
2024 | 3.3

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. zero point, n. 1789–
   The lowest point on a scale, order, or ranking; a…

1. absolute zero, n. 1798–
   The lowest temperature theoretically possible…

1. zero, v. 1813–
   transitive. To adjust (an instrument or device)…

1. zero mark, n. 1821–
   a. A mark on a scale or instrument from which a…

1. zero-line, n. 1834–
   A line represented by 0 on a scale or instrument…

1. zero plane, n. 1842–
   A plane (plane, n.³ 1a) from or against which…

1. zero meridian, n. 1849–
   a. A meridian representing the zero of longitude…

1. zeroth, adj. 1850–
   Of an item in a series: coming before the item…

1. centre-zero, adj. 1879–
   Designating a scale (as on a measuring…

1. non-zero, adj. 1879–
   Not equal to zero.

1. zero-dimensional, adj. 1880–
   a. (Describing a point) having no extent in any…

1. subzero, adj. 1887–
   Having or designating a temperature below zero…

1. zero grade, n. 1888–
   The most reduced form of weak ablaut grade, in…

1. zero magnet, n. 1890–
   A magnet used to reset the zero of an instrument…

1. zeroize, v. 1894–
   transitive. To adjust (an instrument or device)…

1. aleph-zero, n. 1899–
   = aleph null, n.

1. zip, n.² & adj. 1900–
   Nothing at all, zero; (in negative constructions)…

1. zero creep, n. 1904–
   (On the graduated scale of an instrument or…

1. zeroing, n. 1906–
   The adjustment of an instrument or device to give…

1. zerovalent, adj. 1906–
   Of an element: having a full outer valence level…

1. zero growth, n. 1907–
   An absence of increase (in population, economic…

1. zero post, n. 1908–
   A post from which distances along roads or…

1. double-zero, adj. 1914–

1. zero-field, adj. 1915–
   attributive designating a property, phenomenon…

1. zero gravity, n. & adj. 1915–
   a. n. The state or condition in which there is no…

1. zero hour, n. 1915–
   The time at which a military operation is…

1. zero day, n. 1917–
   Military. The day on which a military operation…

1. zero-order, adj. 1919–
   a. Statistics designating the degree of…

1. zero beat, n. 1920–
   a. Radio a method of reception in which the…

1. zero-zero, adj. & n. 1930–
   Aeronautics. Of atmospheric conditions…

1. auto-zero, n. 1936–
   A facility by which a zero is automatically…

1. route zero, n. 1937–
   (In allusion to route, n.¹ 1f) any (physical or…

1. dark thirty, n. 1938–
   An unspecified hour in the very early morning…

1. zero tolerance, n. 1940–
   spec. Complete lack of tolerance for, or…

1. zero crossing, n. 1941–
   The crossing of the horizontal axis by a…

1. zero-sum, adj. 1944–
   In game theory: designating a game in which…

1. zero-length, adj. 1945–
   Of or relating to a launching system in which…

1. ground zero, n. 1946–
   A site of devastation, disaster, or violent attack.

1. zero-energy, adj. 1947–
   Designating a small nuclear reactor, built for…

1. zero derivative, adj. & n. 1948–
   a. adj. Designating a derivative in which the…

1. zero-G, adj. & n. 1950–
   a. adj.= zero gravity, n. (b); b. n. = zero…

1. zero-power, adj. 1950–
   Designating a small nuclear reactor, usually…

1. return-to-zero, adj. 1951–
   Designating a binary signal which returns to 0…

1. zero-emission, n. & adj. 1952–
   a. n. (Esp. with reference to vehicles or…

1. zero-graze, v. 1954–
   transitive to feed (cattle) with cut grass…

1. zero grazing, n. 1954–
   The practice of feeding cattle with cut grass…

1. zero population growth, n. 1955–
   The absence of any increase (or decrease) in a…

1. zeroable, adj. 1956–
   Of an instrument or device: capable of being…

1. zero sound, n. 1957–
   The propagation of waves through a Fermi liquid…

1. zero-grazed, adj. 1958–
   (Of cattle) fed with cut grass brought to them…

1. size zero, n. 1960–
   A very small size of women’s clothing; esp. an…

1. zero derivation, n. 1960–
   Derivation in which a word comes to be used with…

1. mechanical zero, n. 1962–
   The state or position in which a measuring…

1. zero-base, adj. 1962–
   (Of a budget or budgeting) having each item…

1. zero-based, adj. 1963–
   (Of a budget or budgeting) having each item…

1. zero tillage, n. 1963–
   A form of agriculture in which seed is sown in…

1. zero-defect, adj. 1964–
   Of, relating to, or resulting in the manufacture…

1. zero norm, n. 1966–
   (In a period of pay restraint) the principle that…

1. zero-derived, adj. 1971–
   (Of a word) having a form unaltered from that of…

1. zero rating, n. 1971–
   A rating of zero for value added tax or other…

1. zero-rate, v. 1972–
   transitive to assess (a product or service) for…

1. zero-rated, adj. 1972–
   (Of a product or service) having a rate of value…

1. zero balance, adj. 1974–
   (Of a bank account) operated with no continuing…

1. zero waste, adj. & n. 1974–
   a. n. (Esp. with reference to the manufacture or…

1. zero option, n. 1976–
   A disarmament proposal for the total removal of…

1. zero-coupon, adj. 1979–
   Designating a bond or other debt obligation for…

1. patient zero, n. 1987–
   A single individual posited as the carrier of a…

1. zero-hours, adj. 1988–
   Denoting or relating to a contract of employment…

1. net zero, n. 1989–
   (In the management of greenhouse gas emissions)…

1. zero-carbon, adj. 1990–
   Producing, causing, or resulting in no emission…

1. C.1.
   attributive.
   1. C.1.a.
      1823–
      In sense A.3a.
      1. 1823

         > Then calling V the quantity of heat necessary to form this quantity of vapour, the water being first at zero temperature, V will be the product of this number.

         Philosophical Magazine vol. 62 335
      2. 1845

         > Zero values of the unknown quantities being supposed to be excluded.

         T. Lund, Wood's Elements Algebra (ed. 12) 216
      3. 1889

         > I shall insert a tabular view of the successive values of the viscosity of the gases at zero degrees centigrade.

         C. Barus, On Thermo-Electr. Measurem. High Temperatures (Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. No. 54) 270
      4. 1903

         > The inert gases, the elements of zero valency, appear at the nodes of a vibrating curve.

         Science 23 October 522/2
      5. 1938

         > If each such contact [sc. a mild electric shock received by rats] had been counted as an error, the number of cases of zero-error would have been considerably reduced.

         British Journal of Psychology vol. 28 329
      6. 2018

         > The power switch is turned on at zero voltage (of course, turnoff also occurs at zero voltage).

         I. Batarseh & A. Harb, Power Electronics vi. 383
      1. nany Old English–1450
         Not any, no.
      2. none Old English–
         Not any; = no, adj. 1. Now archaic and Scottish (rare).
      3. none-kins Old English–1500
         No kind of, not any, no.
      4. no (none) such Old English–
         no (†none) such adj., rarely †no such a; absolute or as pronoun now only none such (cf. none such, no… No (person or thing) of the kind; none of the…
      5. no late Old English–
         With a singular or plural noun. Not any. Accompanied by other negatives, with overall negative force (sometimes with more emphasis than a single…
      6. no kin a1400–1598
         No kind of, not any, no.
      7. zero 1823–
         In sense A.3a.
      8. nix 1846–
         = no, adj. Esp. in phrases representing Anglicization of German phrases, as nix fish-tins, etc.
      9. nought 1945–
         Zero; no, not any.
      10. bugger-all 1948–
          Not any; absolutely no; very little.
      11. damn all 1953–
          Absolutely no; not any. Also in weakened sense: very little.
      12. fuck-all 1961–
          coarse slang. Absolutely no; not any. Also as an intensifier (cf. fucking, adj. A.2).
      13. eff-all 1965–
          = fuck-all, adj.
      14. zilch 1969–
          In attributive use. Absolutely no; not any.
      15. zip 1969–
          Absolutely no; not any. Cf. zilch, adj. B.2.
      16. zippo 1973–
          Nothing at all; nought, zero. Also as adj.: no, not any, zero. Cf. zip, n.², zilch, n.
      17. sod all 1978–
          Not any; absolutely no; very little.
      18. negative 1984–
          colloquial (originally U.S. Services' slang). Designating an absolute lack of something; = no, adj. 1b.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. C.1.b.
      1926–
      Linguistics. Designating a linguistic element, such as an inflection, which is not represented by a spoken or written marker, in a position in which such a marker previously existed, or where one is present in corresponding positions elsewhere. Cf. sense A.7.
      1. 1926

         > Alternation... Absence of sound may be a phonetic or formal alternant... Such an alternant is a zero element. The postulation of zero elements is necessary for Sanskrit..for Primitive Indo-European..and probably economical for English (singular book with affix zero, as opposed to book-s, cf f-oo-t; f-ee-t).

         L. Bloomfield in Language vol. 2 160
      2. 1942

         > In He cut it there is a zero morpheme meaning ‘past time’ after cut.

         Language vol. 18 170
      3. 1963

         > The Authorized Version of the Bible clearly fights shy of it: in those places where the Hebrew has a zero-clause, it uses a relative pronoun printed in italics (e.g. Ps. 7, 5, ‘he is fallen into the ditch which he made’).

         F. T. Visser, Historical Syntax of English Language vol. I. iv. 538
      4. 1972

         > The zero auxiliary was demonstrated by Martin Luther King, Jr. gone for Martin Luther King, Jr. has gone.

         College Composition & Communication vol. 23 419/1
      5. 2010

         > Zero forms are more widespread in East Yorkshire.

         J. .C. Beal, Introd. Regional Englishes iii. 48
      linguistics
2. C.2.
   Some of the formations below may show special uses of the adjective (cf. sense B).
   1. zero mark, n. 1821–
      a. A mark on a scale or instrument from which a…
   1. zero-line, n. 1834–
      A line represented by 0 on a scale or instrument…
   1. zero plane, n. 1842–
      A plane (plane, n.³ 1a) from or against which…
   1. zero meridian, n. 1849–
      a. A meridian representing the zero of longitude…
   1. zero-dimensional, adj. 1880–
      a. (Describing a point) having no extent in any…
   1. zero grade, n. 1888–
      The most reduced form of weak ablaut grade, in…
   1. zero magnet, n. 1890–
      A magnet used to reset the zero of an instrument…
   1. zero creep, n. 1904–
      (On the graduated scale of an instrument or…
   1. zero growth, n. 1907–
      An absence of increase (in population, economic…
   1. zero post, n. 1908–
      A post from which distances along roads or…
   1. zero-field, adj. 1915–
      attributive designating a property, phenomenon…
   1. zero gravity, n. & adj. 1915–
      a. n. The state or condition in which there is no…
   1. zero-order, adj. 1919–
      a. Statistics designating the degree of…
   1. zero beat, n. 1920–
      a. Radio a method of reception in which the…
   1. zero crossing, n. 1941–
      The crossing of the horizontal axis by a…
   1. zero-length, adj. 1945–
      Of or relating to a launching system in which…
   1. zero-energy, adj. 1947–
      Designating a small nuclear reactor, built for…
   1. zero derivative, adj. & n. 1948–
      a. adj. Designating a derivative in which the…
   1. zero-G, adj. & n. 1950–
      a. adj.= zero gravity, n. (b); b. n. = zero…
   1. zero-power, adj. 1950–
      Designating a small nuclear reactor, usually…
   1. zero-emission, n. & adj. 1952–
      a. n. (Esp. with reference to vehicles or…
   1. zero-graze, v. 1954–
      transitive to feed (cattle) with cut grass…
   1. zero grazing, n. 1954–
      The practice of feeding cattle with cut grass…
   1. zero population growth, n. 1955–
      The absence of any increase (or decrease) in a…
   1. zero sound, n. 1957–
      The propagation of waves through a Fermi liquid…
   1. zero-grazed, adj. 1958–
      (Of cattle) fed with cut grass brought to them…
   1. zero derivation, n. 1960–
      Derivation in which a word comes to be used with…
   1. zero-base, adj. 1962–
      (Of a budget or budgeting) having each item…
   1. zero-based, adj. 1963–
      (Of a budget or budgeting) having each item…
   1. zero tillage, n. 1963–
      A form of agriculture in which seed is sown in…
   1. zero-defect, adj. 1964–
      Of, relating to, or resulting in the manufacture…
   1. zero norm, n. 1966–
      (In a period of pay restraint) the principle that…
   1. zero-derived, adj. 1971–
      (Of a word) having a form unaltered from that of…
   1. zero rating, n. 1971–
      A rating of zero for value added tax or other…
   1. zero-rate, v. 1972–
      transitive to assess (a product or service) for…
   1. zero-rated, adj. 1972–
      (Of a product or service) having a rate of value…
   1. zero balance, adj. 1974–
      (Of a bank account) operated with no continuing…
   1. zero waste, adj. & n. 1974–
      a. n. (Esp. with reference to the manufacture or…
   1. zero option, n. 1976–
      A disarmament proposal for the total removal of…
   1. zero-coupon, adj. 1979–
      Designating a bond or other debt obligation for…
   1. zero-carbon, adj. 1990–
      Producing, causing, or resulting in no emission…

zero, n. & adj. was revised in June 2018.

zero, n. & adj. was last modified in June 2025.