Where does “〇” come from?
〇 (Japanese) 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-.
Ancestry of “〇”, step by step
| 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- | — |