Where does “zero suffix” come from?
zero suffix (English) comes from English zero, from Middle French zero, from Italian Zero, from New Latin zerum, from Medieval Latin zephirum, from Arabic صِفْر, from Sanskrit शून्य, from Proto-Indo-European ḱówH-.
zero suffix (English): A suffix which is a null morpheme, used in models of linguistic analysis to represent the lack of a suffix where one might otherwise be expected (for example, as one of several inflections that a stem can take, or the reduction of a historically vocalised suffix to the point that it is inaudible)
Definitions
- A suffix which is a null morpheme, used in models of linguistic analysis to represent the lack of a suffix where one might otherwise be expected (for example, as one of several inflections that a stem can take, or the reduction of a historically vocalised suffix to the point that it is inaudible)
Ancestry of “zero suffix”, step by step
zero suffix traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English zero
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | zero | The cardinal number occurring before one and that... |
| 2 | Middle French | zero | — |
| 3 | Italian | Zero | zero |
| 4 | New Latin | zerum | — |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | zephirum | zero |
| 6 | Arabic | صِفْر | zero, nothing, empty, void; nothing, cipher;... |
| 7 | Sanskrit | शून्य | zero; cipher, cypher; blank, deserted |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱówH- | — |