zero: [17] In common with many other English mathematical terms, zero comes ultimately from Arabic. Its distant ancestor is Arabic sifr, a noun use of an adjective meaning ‘empty’, which also produced English cipher. It passed into English via Old Spanish zero and French zéro. => cipher
zero (n.)
"figure which stands for naught in the Arabic notation," also "the absence of all quantity considered as quantity," c. 1600, from French zéro or directly from Italian zero, from Medieval Latin zephirum, from Arabic sifr "cipher," translation of Sanskrit sunya-m "empty place, desert, naught" (see cipher (n.)).
A brief history of the invention of "zero" can be found here. Meaning "worthless person" is recorded from 1813. As an adjective from 1810. Zero tolerance first recorded 1972, originally U.S. political language. Zero-sum in game theory is from 1944 (von Neumann), indicating that if one player wins X amount the other or others must lose X amount.
zero (v.)
in zero in, 1944, from zero (n.); the image is from instrument adjustment to a setting of "zero" (1909 in this sense, originally in rifle-shooting). Related: Zeroed; zeroing.
双语例句
1. The patient rates the therapies on a scale of zero to ten.
患者按十分制给这些治疗方法打分。
来自柯林斯例句
2. That night the mercury fell to thirty degrees below zero.
那天晚上温度计显示气温降到了零下30度。
来自柯林斯例句
3. They have a policy of zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
他们对性骚扰采取绝不容忍的政策。
来自柯林斯例句
4. This new ministry was being created with zero assets and zero liabilities.
这个新部委正在筹建，既无资产也无负债。
来自柯林斯例句
5. It's a sunny late winter day, just a few degrees above zero.
