What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

What is the difference between nought and zero?

nought | zero |

Zero is a synonym of nought.



As nouns the difference between nought and zero

is that nought is nothing; something which does not exist while zero is the numeric symbol that represents the cardinal number zero.

As adjectives the difference between nought and zero

is that nought is good for nothing; worthless while zero is none.

As verbs the difference between nought and zero

is that nought is to abase, to set at nought while zero is to set a measuring instrument to zero; to calibrate instrument scale to valid zero.

As an adverb nought

is to no extent; in no way; not at all.

As a pronoun nought

is nothing; zero.

As a numeral zero is

the cardinal number occurring before one and that denotes no quantity or amount at all, represented in Arabic numerals as 0.

nought

English

Alternative forms

* naught, nocht (Scottish ), nowt

Noun

(en noun)
  • Nothing; something which does not exist.
  • A thing or person of no worth or value; nil.
  • Not any quantity of number; zero; the score of no points in a game.
  • 0.4 (a number) = nought point four / zero point four
  • The figure or character representing, or having the shape of, zero.
  • Derived terms

    * noughties * noughty * dreadnought

    Adjective

    (head)
  • (obsolete) Good for nothing; worthless.
  • * 1611 , 20:14:
  • It is nought', it is ' nought , saith the buyer, but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.
  • Wicked, immoral.
  • * (rfdate) Fuller:
  • No man can be stark nought at once.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To abase, to set at nought.
  • * 1393 , , translated by Grace Warrack, 1901
  • In this naked word sin, our Lord brought to my mind, generally, all that is not good, and the shameful despite and the utter noughting' that He bare for us in this life, and His dying; and all the pains and passions of all His creatures, ghostly and bodily; (for we be all partly '''noughted''', and we shall be '''noughted''' following our Master, Jesus, till we be full purged, that is to say, till we be fully ' noughted of our deadly flesh and of all our inward affections which are not very good;)
  • * 1983 , : The Last Self-Help Book , page 25
  • The nought which is you has devoured the style and been sustained for a while as a non-you until the style is emptied out by the noughting self.
  • * 2001 , William Desmond, Ethics and the Between , page 507
  • Your usefulness is zero, your worth zero, and as zero you deserve to be treated as nothing, and in the extreme, noughted .
  • * 2003 , Wu Wei Wei, The Tenth Man: The Great Joke (which Made Lazarus Laugh) (ISBN 1591810078), page 81:
  • What is the use of noughting' yourself? Who is ' noughting who? What is the use of searching for yourself? Who is searching for who? There are not two of you ! You cannot find yourself, or the absence of yourself.

    Adverb

    (head)
  • To no extent; in no way; not at all.
  • Not.
  • Pronoun

    (head)
  • Nothing; zero.
  • See also

    * naught * ought

    References

    * * Notes:

    zero

    English

    (wikipedia zero)

    Numeral

    (head)
  • (cardinal) The cardinal number occurring before one and that denotes no quantity or amount at all, represented in Arabic numerals as .
  • The conductor waited until the passenger count was zero .
    A cheque for zero''' dollars and '''zero''' cents crashed the computers on division by '''zero .

    Usage notes

    * In an adjectival sense, used with the plural of a countable noun: *: I have zero''' dollars and '''zero food.

    Synonyms

    * * o * cipher * (informal) goose egg * naught * nil * no * null

    Derived terms

    * division by zero * zero method * zeroth, zeroeth

    See also

    *

    Noun

  • The numeric symbol that represents the cardinal number zero.
  • The digit in the decimal, binary, and all other base numbering systems.
  • (informal, uncountable) Nothing, or none.
  • The value of a magnitude corresponding to the cardinal number zero.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-06, volume=408, issue=8843, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The rise of smart beta , passage=Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.}}
  • The point on a scale at which numbering or measurement originates.
  • (mathematics) A value of the independent variables of a function, for which the function is equal to zero.
  • (senseid) (mathematics, algebra) The additive identity element of a monoid or greater algebraic structure, particularly a group or ring.
  • Since a commutative zero is the inverse of any additive identity, it must be unique when it exists.
    The zero''' (of a ring or field) has the property that the product of the '''zero''' with any element yields the '''zero .
    The quotient ring over a maximal ideal is a field with a single zero element.
  • (slang) A person of little or no importance.
  • They rudely treated him like a zero .
  • (military) A , a long range fighter aircraft operated by the Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945.
  • A setting of calibrated instruments such as a firearm.
  • (finance) A security which has a zero coupon (paying no periodic interest).
  • The takeovers were financed by issuing zeroes .

    Synonyms

    * (numeric symbol zero) cipher * (digit zero) slashed zero * (point of origin on a scale) origin, zero point * (lowest point) nadir * (negligible or irrelevant amount) naught, nil, nothing, nought, nowt, null, (informal)'' bugger all, ''(informal) fuck all, nada, sod all, sweet FA, sweet Fanny Adams, zilch, zip * (person of little importance) cipher, nobody, nonentity * root * (identity element of a monoid) additive identity

    Derived terms

    * absolute zero * aleph-zero * decimal without a zero * go from zero to hero * ground zero * negative zero * non-zero * positive zero * size zero * sub-zero * zero air * zero-based budget * zero coupon bond * zero-day * zero deflection * zero-dimensional * zero-emission vehicle * zero-grade * zero hour * zero hundred * zero-knowledge * zero-knowledge proof * zero-length launching * zero one infinity rule * zero-point energy * zero-rated * zero-sum * zero-sum game * zero vector * zero gravity

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (informal, used with noun) none
  • She showed zero respect.
  • (meteorology) Of a cloud ceiling, limiting vision to 50 feet (15 meters) or less.
  • (meteorology) Of horizontal visibility, limited to 165 feet (50.3 meters) or less.
  • (linguistics) Present at an abstract level, but not realized in the data.
  • The stem of "kobieta" with the zero ending is "kobiet".

    Synonyms

    * no

    Derived terms

    * zero tolerance

    Verb

    (es)
  • To set a measuring instrument to zero; to calibrate instrument scale to valid zero.
  • Zero the fluorometer with the same solvent used in extraction.
  • (computing) To change a memory location or range to values of zero; to set a variable in a computer program to zero.
  • Results were inconsistent because an array wasn’t zeroed during initialization.
  • To cause or set some value or amount to be zero.
  • They tried to zero the budget by the end of the quarter.
  • To eliminate; to delete; to overwrite with zeros.
  • * 2001 , Mark Pesce, "True Magic", in True Names by Vernor Vinge and the Opening of the Cyberspace Frontier , James Frenkel (editor)
  • They discovered the object code for the simulator that was DON, and zeroed it. DON — or his creator — was clever and had planted many copies,
  • * 2004 , Anna Maxted, Being Committed , page 358
  • If I zeroed Jack, I'd get by So I'd erased him, pretended the last few months had never happened.
  • To disappear
  • * 1997 , Tom Clancy, Executive Orders , page 340
  • Traffic on the encrypted channels used by senior Iraqi generals had peaked and zeroed', then peaked again, and ' zeroed again.

    Synonyms

    * (to set to zero) tare * (to cause to be zero) zero out

    Derived terms

    * zero in * zero in on * zero out