Where does “zero” come from?
zero (Italian) comes from New Latin zerum, from Medieval Latin zephirum, from Arabic صِفْر, from Sanskrit शून्य, from Proto-Indo-European ḱówH-.
zero (Italian): zero; nil
Ancestry of “zero”, step by step
zero traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via New Latin zerum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | New Latin | zerum | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | zephirum | zero |
| 3 | Arabic | صِفْر | zero, nothing, empty, void; nothing, cipher;... |
| 4 | Sanskrit | शून्य | zero; cipher, cypher; blank, deserted |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱówH- | — |
via Italian zefiro
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | zefiro | a light west wind, a zephyr |
| 2 | Latin | Zephyrus | personification of the west wind |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Ζέφυρος | Zephyrus, the west wind; westerly wind; west wind |