Etymologically
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zéro

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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]

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)