Result from Foreign Dictionaries (4 entries found)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Zero \Ze"ro\, n.; pl. {Zeros}or {Zeroes}. [F. z['e]ro, from Ar. [,c]afrun, [,c]ifrun, empty, a cipher. Cf. {Cipher}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Arith.) A cipher; nothing; naught. [1913 Webster] 2. The point from which the graduation of a scale, as of a thermometer, commences. [1913 Webster] Note: Zero in the Centigrade, or Celsius thermometer, and in the R['e]aumur thermometer, is at the point at which water congeals. The zero of the Fahrenheit thermometer is fixed at the point at which the mercury stands when immersed in a mixture of snow and common salt. In Wedgwood's pyrometer, the zero corresponds with 1077[deg] on the Fahrenheit scale. See Illust. of {Thermometer}. [1913 Webster] 3. Fig.: The lowest point; the point of exhaustion; as, his patience had nearly reached zero. [1913 Webster] {Absolute zero}. See under {Absolute}. {Zero method} (Physics), a method of comparing, or measuring, forces, electric currents, etc., by so opposing them that the pointer of an indicating apparatus, or the needle of a galvanometer, remains at, or is brought to, zero, as contrasted with methods in which the deflection is observed directly; -- called also {null method}. {Zero point}, the point indicating zero, or the commencement of a scale or reckoning. [1913 Webster] [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: zero adj 1: indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration; "a zero score" [syn: {zero}, {0}] 2: having no measurable or otherwise determinable value; "the goal is zero population growth" 3: indicating an initial point or origin 4: of or relating to the null set (a set with no members) n 1: a quantity of no importance; "it looked like nothing I had ever seen before"; "reduced to nil all the work we had done"; "we racked up a pathetic goose egg"; "it was all for naught"; "I didn't hear zilch about it" [syn: {nothing}, {nil}, {nix}, {nada}, {null}, {aught}, {cipher}, {cypher}, {goose egg}, {naught}, {zero}, {zilch}, {zip}, {zippo}] 2: a mathematical element that when added to another number yields the same number [syn: {zero}, {0}, {nought}, {cipher}, {cypher}] 3: the point on a scale from which positive or negative numerical quantities can be measured [syn: {zero}, {zero point}] 4: the sight setting that will cause a projectile to hit the center of the target with no wind blowing v 1: adjust (an instrument or device) to zero value 2: adjust (as by firing under test conditions) the zero of (a gun); "He zeroed in his rifle at 200 yards" [syn: {zero}, {zero in}] From The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003) [jargon]: zero vt. 1. To set to 0. Usually said of small pieces of data, such as bits or words (esp. in the construction zero out). 2. To erase; to discard all data from. Said of disks and directories, where ?zeroing? need not involve actually writing zeroes throughout the area being zeroed. One may speak of something being logically zeroed rather than being physically zeroed. See {scribble}. From Portuguese-English FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.1 [fd-por-eng]: zero 1. nought; zero 2. naught; nought; null; zero; zilch