nil

See also: Appendix:Variations of "nil"

English

Etymology

From Latin nīl, a contraction of nihil, nihilum (“nothing”). See nihilism.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɪl/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪl

Noun

nil (usually uncountable, plural nils)

1. Nothing; zero.
   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.19:

     As to Aristotle's influence on him, we are left free to conjecture whatever seems to us most plausible. For my part, I should suppose it nil.

2. (sports) A score of zero

   The football match ended in a nil-nil draw.

Derived terms

• nil disease

Translations

nothing

• Bulgarian: нищо (bg) n (ništo), нула (bg) f (nula)
• Czech: nic (cs)
• Dutch: nul (nl)
• Esperanto: nenio (eo)
• Finnish: nolla (fi)
• Hebrew: כלום‎ (he) (kloom)
• Hungarian: null (hu)
• Japanese: ニル (niru)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ھیچ‎ (hîç)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: null (no)

  Nynorsk: null

• Plautdietsch: nuscht
• Polish: zero (pl)
• Portuguese: nada (pt) m
• Russian: ничто́ (ru) n (ništó), ноль (ru) m (nolʹ) (zero)
• Scottish Gaelic: neoni m or f
• Spanish: nada (es), cero (es)
• Swedish: noll (sv)
• Ukrainian: нічого (ničoho)

zero (in sports)

• Czech: nula (cs)
• French: zéro (fr)
• Ukrainian: нуль (uk) (nulʹ)

Determiner

nil

1. No, not any.
   • 1982, Gavin Lyall, Conduct of Major Maxim, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd:

     But after two or three hours and nil results, you have to accept that the trail is cold and you can't justify that level of manpower.

Related terms

• nihilism

See also

• eau de nil
• null
• nil desperandum

Anagrams

• -lin, Lin, Lin., lin, lin.

Golin

Alternative forms

• nl, nĺ

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nɨ̆ĺ], [nĺ], [˩˧nɨ̆l]

Noun

nil

1. liquid; water

   Na nil ne dugudige. ― I swallowed water.

Derived terms

• Kulupe nil
• nil benke
• nil benke binan
• nil guli
• nil kabe
• nil kupa si
• nil pai
• Nilmanil
• nilwa

 

References

• Gordon Bunn, Golin Grammar (1974)

Interlingua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nil/

Pronoun

nil (indefinite)

1. nothing

Latin

Etymology

Syncopic form of nihil, in turn from nihilum, from ne- (“not”) + hilum (“a hilum; a trifle, a bagatelle”), or unknown origin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /niːl/, [niːɫ̪]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /nil/, [nil]

Noun

nīl n (indeclinable)

1. (chiefly poetic) nothing

   Bene scripsisti de me, Thoma. Quam ergo mercedem accipies? Nil nisi te.

   You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward therefore will you receive? Nothing unless it is you.

References

• “nil”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nil”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Tok Pisin

This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. Tok Pisin is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

Etymology

From English needle.

Noun

nil

1. needle
2. thorn
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:18:

     Ol rop i gat nil na ol gras nogut bai i kamap na karamapim gaden bilong yu.

     →New International Version translation