zéro

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ze.ʁo/^[1]

Forms

zéro m (plural zéros)^[1] Written zero by the Académie in 1694 and 1718, zéro from 1740.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian zero (1491–1494), a contraction of zefiro,^{[3][4][5][1][6]} from Medieval Latin zephirum, a transcription of Arabic صفر (ṣifr, “empty; zero”).^{[3][5][1][7][8]} The Arabic word had already been borrowed as Old French “cifre” “zero”, whence chiffre, its doublet; when “chiffre” came to mean any digit, “zéro” took over its first sense.^[3][4][9][1] The concept reached the Arabs from Indian mathematics,^[3] and Littré notes that the Arabic word translates a Sanskrit word with the same two senses, “empty” and “zero”.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Jehan Certain's Kadran des marchans (1485) explains that the tenth figure is worth nothing but gives value to the others, et se nomme zero ou chiffre.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Figuratively, as early as 1512 (Jean Lemaire de Belges), a zéro is a person of no worth, as in compter quelqu'un pour un zéro (Retz).^[2][3] Se réduire au zéro “to be ruined” is in Cotgrave (1611), and réduire à zéro from 1761; as a numeral adjective, zéro is recorded in 1690.^[2][3][10]

From the 18th century the word marks the starting point of the scale of measuring instruments (1757), especially thermometers, hence au-dessous de zéro (1813) and zéro absolu (1818).^[3] In school marking it is the lowest grade, as in zéro de conduite (1911).^[3] Familiar phrases include partir de zéro (1840, Balzac), repartir à zéro (1938) and avoir le moral à zéro (1947).^[3][11]

Timeline

• 1485 – The figure 0 (Jehan Certain).^[2][3]
• 1491–1494 – Italian zero.^[6][4]
• 1512 – A person of no worth (Lemaire de Belges).^[2][3]
• 1611 – Se réduire au zéro (Cotgrave).^[2]
• 1690 – A numeral adjective.^[3]
• 1757 – The zero of a scale.^[3]
• 1818 – Zéro absolu.^[3]
• 1840 – Partir de zéro (Balzac).^[3][11]

Meanings

Noun

1. Zero, the figure 0; a quantity of nothing.^[9][1]
2. The zero point of a scale, especially on a thermometer: dix degrés au-dessous de zéro.^[9][3]
3. (familiar) A person of no worth; a nonentity.^[1][3]
4. The lowest mark: zéro de conduite.^[3][9]

Numeral

1. Zero, no: zéro faute.^[12][1]

Related words

• chiffre
• English zero

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 19, 157b
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
11. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
12. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)