nihil

Interlingua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnihil/

Pronoun

nihil

1. (indefinite) The absence of anything; nothing.

---

Latin

Alternative forms

• nīl
• nichil (Medieval Latin)

Etymology

From nihilum, from ne- (“not”) +‎ hilum (“a trifle, a bagatelle”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈni.hil/, [ˈni(ɦ)ɪɫ̪]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈni.il/, [ˈniːil]

  • Audio (Classical):

    (file)

• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈni.kil/, [ˈniːkil]

Pronoun

nihil n sg (indeclinable, no genitive)

1. indefinite nothing
   • 163 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Heauton Timorumenos 1.77:

     Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto.

     I am a man, I consider nothing that is human alien to me.

   • 63 BCE, Cicero, Catiline Orations Oratio in Catilinam Prima in Senatu Habita.8:

     Nihil agis, nihil moliris, nihil cogitas quod non ego non modo audiam sed etiam videam planeque sentiam.

     You do nothing, you plan nothing, you think of nothing which I not only do not hear, but which I do not see and know every particular of.

   Nihilne in mentem? ― Does nothing come to mind?

   Nihil est. ― It's nothing.

   Nihil sub sole novum. ― There is nothing new under the sun.

Declension

Not declined; used only in the nominative and accusative singular, singular only.

Case	Singular
Nominative	nihil
Genitive	—
Dative	—
Accusative	nihil
Ablative	—
Vocative	—

However, the genitive nihilī and the ablative nihilō (from nihilum) sometimes do occur.

Derived terms

• adnihilō
• nihil album
• nihil debet
• nihil dicit
• nihildum
• nihilōminus
• nonnihil

 

Related terms

• adnihilātiō
• adnihilātor

References

• “nihil”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nihil”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• nihil in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• nihil in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • I cannot wait till..: nihil mihi longius est or videtur quam dum or quam ut
    
  • nothing is more tiresome to me than..: nihil mihi longius est quam (c. Inf.)
    
  • a wise man is in no way affected by this: hoc nihil ad sapientem pertinet
    
  • to live a life free from all misfortune: nihil calamitatis (in vita) videre
    
  • to afford no consolation: nihil habere consolationis
    
  • to considerably (in no way) further the common good: multum (nihil) ad communem utilitatem afferre
    
  • I will refuse you nothing: nihil tibi a me postulanti recusabo
    
  • not to trouble oneself about a thing: nihil omnino curare
    
  • there is nothing I am more interested in than..: nihil antiquius or prius habeo quam ut (nihil mihi antiquius or potius est, quam ut)
    
  • to live as scrupulously moral a life as ever: nihil ex pristina virtute remittere
    
  • to do no business with a man: nihil cum aliquo contrahere
    
  • not to mention..: ut non (nihil) dicam de...
    
  • but this is not to the point: sed hoc nihil (sane) ad rem
    
  • there is something in what you say; you are more or less right: aliquid (τι) dicis (opp. nihil dicis)
    

---

Malay

Malay cardinal numbers

	0	1  >
Cardinal : nihil

Alternative forms

• نيهيل

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin nihil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nihel/
• Rhymes: -hel, -el

Numeral

nihil (Jawi spelling نيهيل)

1. zero

Synonyms

• kosong / کوسوڠ
• sifar / صفر
• nol / نول

---