Etymologically
Log in

zephirum

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Latin word zephirum

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1202, Fibonacci
Borrowed from
Arabic صِفْر
Ultimate origin
Arabic صِفْر
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin zephirum
Italian zero
French zéro
English zero

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈzeː.pʰɪ.rũː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈd͡zɛː.fi.rum][1]

Forms

zēphirum n (genitive zēphirī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “nothing; cipher”),[1][2] a borrowing that Wiktionary calls probable.[1] Etymonline describes the Arabic word as a translation of a word for “empty place, nothing” in Sanskrit.[2] It is a doublet of cīfra “cipher”, from the same Arabic word.[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wiktionary dates its first use to 1202, by the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci.[1]

Semantic evolution

In Medieval Latin it was the mathematical term for the figure 0.[1] Italian took it as zero, which reached English zero about 1600, directly or through French zéro;[2][1] New Latin had zērum, and Spanish has cero.[1]

Timeline

  • 1202 – Leonardo Fibonacci uses it.[1]
  • c. 1600 – English zero, from French or Italian.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin, mathematics) Zero, the figure 0.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com

Borrowed into

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Zephirum.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/zephirum. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·