nought

[ nawt ]

noun

1. naught.

nought

/ nɔːt /

noun

1. the digit 0; zero: used esp in counting or numbering

noun

1. a variant spelling of naught

Word History and Origins

Origin of nought¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English nōht, contraction of nōwiht, equivalent to ne not + ōwiht aught ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of nought¹

Old English nōwiht, from ne not, no + ōwiht something; see whit

Example Sentences

If the capital letter S were cut into two parts, and the bottom half attached to the top half, it would make a nought .

From Project Gutenberg

It was a curious chapter of accidents that brought all these well laid plans to nought.

From Project Gutenberg

Fortune had favoured me far above my expectations, and I saw nought before me but a career of distinction under my new master.

From Project Gutenberg

Between the two on the hills is the great camp which any force can hold, but nought but a great one can storm.

From Project Gutenberg

After that the men of Gerent who were with them at the camp cared nought for their strange leader.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Nought

What does nought mean?

Nought means nothing or none, as in All of my efforts at winning the game were for nought because I lost badly.

Nought also refers to zero. For example, if your math class is in Room One-Nought-Seven, it is in Room 107. The informal term noughties for the decade of 2000–2009 comes from this sense.

Nought is an alternate spelling of naught, which has the exact same meaning.

Example: I had nought to do with breaking the lamp, but my mother still thought I was involved. 

Where does nought come from?

The first records of nought come from before the 900s. It comes from the Old English nōht, a contraction of ne, meaning “not” or “no,” and ōwiht, meaning “anything.”

Both nought and naught are used interchangeably with the word nothing. They are also used in idioms that use nothing, as in “come to nought,” meaning “to come to nothing” or “to fail.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to nought?

• naught (alternative spelling)

What are some synonyms for nought?

• nothing
• none
• nil
• zero

What are some words that share a root or word element with nought? 

• naught
• noughties

What are some words that often get used in discussing nought?

• nothingness
• failure

How is nought used in real life?

Nought is used as a synonym for nothing or zero.

Just learned Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito got back together last March so I guess my extreme year long depression has been for nought.

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) January 31, 2014

Good thing I charged up the iPad or I'd have nought to do .. Yawn.

— Chris (@ozcjr) April 8, 2011

Mezut Ozil had 0 (nought) touches in the first half.

— Max Rushden 💙 (@maxrushden) December 29, 2018

 

 

Try using nought!

True or False?

If a person has done nought but complain, then they have done absolutely nothing besides complaining.