nought
nought Lexical Profile
nought Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British The digit or figure 0; zero.
"A million is written with a one followed by six noughts."
Nothingness or complete failure, especially in fixed expressions such as 'come to nought' or 'bring to nought'.
"All their months of careful diplomatic negotiation ultimately came to nought."
• pronoun
Nothing; not anything (now chiefly literary or northern English dialect).
"They searched the abandoned cabin from top to bottom but found nought of value."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English, 'nought' is the standard spelling for the digit 0 (as in 'nought point five' or the game 'noughts and crosses'), while 'naught' is preferred in both British and American English for archaic or literary idioms meaning 'nothing' (such as 'come to naught').
• Rhymes for nought
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English nāwiht ('nothing'), a compound of ne ('not') + ā ('ever') + wiht ('thing, creature').