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nought

/nɔːt/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about nought at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A mathematical element that when added to another number yields the same number.

Origin

From Middle English nought, noght, noȝt, from Old English nōwiht, nāwiht, which in turn comes from ne-ā-wiht, which was a phrase used as an emphatic "no", meaning "not anything". Equivalent to ne + ought or ne + a + wight. Doublet of naught and not.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)