Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “null” come from?

Null comes from Middle French nul, from Latin nullus, meaning "not any," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne and óynos.

null (English): A non-existent or empty value or set of values;...

Definitions

  1. A non-existent or empty value or set of values;...

Ancestry of “null”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchnulnobody; no one; none
2Old Frenchnulnobody; no one; none
3Latinnūllus—
4Proto-Italicoinoscardinal number 1 Previous: n/a Next: *duō;...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single

Words derived from “null”

  • nullify
  • nullification
  • nullifying
  • nullable
  • nulliparous
  • nonnull
  • nullifier
  • nullability
  • nullary
  • nullspace
  • nullness
  • nullifiable
  • nullifiest
  • nullifyingly
  • pseudonull
  • null recurrence
  • nullifieth
  • nullar
  • conull
  • null recurrent
  • null persistent
  • non-null persistent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European óynos →