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

"I explained to my youngest son, who asked what the implications were, that if you take 20% off something every time someone dies, it’s not long before you get to nought," he said.

From BBC

"Ripped out, eradicated, destroyed, reduced to nought ... forever."

From Salon

Pakistan fought admirably, recovering from dropping Knight on nought and 18 early in the innings to chip away at the wickets column with their nagging accuracy.

From BBC

Pope's 196 in the first Test is also the fifth-highest score by a player who has also been out for nought in both innings of a Test in the same series.

From BBC

Meanwhile, Justin Chang would have you “Spare a thought for Romania,” as he lists the many worthy titles the country has submitted in the last 20 years, all for nought.

From Los Angeles Times

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.