Where does “zero” come from?
zero (Middle French) comes from Italian Zero, from New Latin zerum, from Medieval Latin zephirum, from Arabic صِفْر, from Sanskrit शून्य, from Proto-Indo-European ḱówH-.
Ancestry of “zero”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | Zero | — |
| 2 | New Latin | zerum | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | zephirum | zero |
| 4 | Arabic | صِفْر | zero, nothing, empty, void; nothing, cipher;... |
| 5 | Sanskrit | शून्य | zero; cipher, cypher; blank, deserted |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱówH- | — |