Where does “empty string” come from?
empty string (English) comes from English empty, from Middle English emty, from Old English ēmtiġ, from Old English ǣmettiġ, from Proto-Germanic uz-, from Proto-Indo-European uss-, from Proto-Indo-European uds-, from Proto-Indo-European úd — out, outward.
empty string (English): A string with a length of zero
Definitions
- A string with a length of zero
Ancestry of “empty string”, step by step
empty string traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English empty
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | empty | Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody;... |
| 2 | Middle English | emty | empty, vacant; weak, ineffective; worthless,... |
| 3 | Old English | ēmtiġ | — |
| 4 | Old English | ǣmettiġ | vacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |