n.
Pronunciation: ' z ē -( ˌ )r ō , ' zir-( ˌ ) ō
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural zeros also zeroes
Etymology: French or Italian; French zéro, from Italian zero, from Medieval Latin zephirum, from Arabic ș ifr
Date: 1598
1 a : the arithmetical symbol 0 or denoting the absence of all magnitude or quantity b : ADDITIVE IDENTITY specifically : the number between the set of all negative numbers and the set of all positive numbers c : a value of an independent variable that makes a function equal to zero <+2 and -2 are zero s of f(x)=x 2 -4>
2 ― see NUMBER table
3 a (1) : the point of departure in reckoning specifically : the point from which the graduation of a scale (as of a thermometer) begins (2) : the temperature represented by the zero mark on a thermometer b : the setting or adjustment of the sights of a firearm that causes it to shoot to point of aim at a desired range
4 : an insignificant person or thing : NONENTITY
5 a : a state of total absence or neutrality b : the lowest point : NADIR
6 : something arbitrarily or conveniently designated zero