Where does “nought” come from?
Nought comes from Middle English noght, from Old English nāht, a compound of Old English ne and aht (meaning "anything"), ultimately traced to Proto-Germanic ne and Proto-Indo-European ne, both meaning "not."
nought (English): Nothing; something which does not exist; A thing...
Definitions
- Nothing; something which does not exist; A thing...
Ancestry of “nought”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nought | nothing, none; not; iniquitous, wicked |
| 2 | Old English | nōwiht | — |
| 3 | Old English | ne | not; or, and not; "ne... ne..." is used to mean "... |
| 4 | Old English | ealles | completely, wholly, entirely; totally,... |
| 5 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |