Main Entry: ¹ze·ro

Pronunciation: \ˈzē-(ˌ)rō, ˈzir-(ˌ)ō\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural zeros also zeroes

Etymology: French or Italian; French zéro, from Italian zero, from Medieval Latin zephirum, from Arabic ṣifr

Date: 1598

1 a : the arithmetical symbol 0 or 0̸ 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 zeros of f(x)=x²−4>
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