nil - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Latin nīl, a contraction of nihil, nihilum (“nothing”). See_nihilism_.

• IPA(key): /nɪl/
• Rhymes: -ɪl

nil (usually uncountable, plural nils)

1. Nothing; zero.
   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.19:
     As to Aristotle's influence on him, we are left free to conjecture whatever seems to us most plausible. For my part, I should suppose it nil.
2. (sports) A score of zero
   The football match ended in a nil-nil draw.

• nil by mouth
• nil disease
• nil per os
• nilpotent
• nilprogression

nothing

• Bulgarian: нищо (bg) n (ništo), нула (bg) f (nula)
• Czech: nic (cs)
• Dutch: nul (nl)
• Esperanto: nenio (eo)
• Finnish: nolla (fi)
• Hebrew: כלום (he) (kloom)
• Hungarian: null (hu)
• Japanese: ニル (niru)
• Kurdish:
  Central Kurdish: ھیچ (hîç)
• Norwegian:
  Bokmål: null (no)
  Nynorsk: null
• Plautdietsch: nuscht
• Polish: zero (pl)
• Portuguese: nada (pt) m
• Russian: ничто́ (ru) n (ništó), ноль (ru) m (nolʹ) (zero)
• Scottish Gaelic: neoni m or f
• Spanish: nada (es), cero (es)
• Swedish: noll (sv)
• Ukrainian: нічого (ničoho)

nil

1. No, not any.
   • 1982, Gavin Lyall, Conduct of Major Maxim, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd:
     But after two or three hours and nil results, you have to accept that the trail is cold and you can't justify that level of manpower.

• nihilism
• eau de nil
• null
• nil desperandum
• Lin, lin., Lin., -lin, lin, NLI
• nl, nĺ
• IPA(key): [nɨ̆ĺ], [nĺ], [˩˧nɨ̆l]

nil

1. liquid; water
   Na nil ne dugudige. ― I swallowed water.

• Kulupe nil

• nil benke

• nil benke binan

• nil guli

• nil kabe

• nil kupa si

• nil pai

• Nilmanil

• nilwa

• Gordon Bunn, Golin Grammar (1974)

• IPA(key): /nil/

nil (indefinite)

1. nothing

Syncopic form of nihil, in turn from nihilum, from ne- (“not”) + hilum (“a hilum; a trifle, a bagatelle”), or unknown origin

• (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈniːl/, [ˈniːɫ̪]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈnil/, [ˈnil]

nīl n (indeclinable)

1. (chiefly poetic) nothing
   Bene scripsisti de me, Thoma. Quam ergo mercedem accipies? Nil nisi te.
   You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward therefore will you receive? Nothing other than you.

• “nil”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nil”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

From English needle.

nil

1. needle
2. thorn
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:18: