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nil

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "nil"

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Nila.

Symbol

nil

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Nila.

See also

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

Noun

nil (usually uncountable, plural nils)

  1. Nothing; zero.
    • 1928 December 15, Frank J. Hirschboeck, “Treatment of Functional Heart Disease”, in The Journal of the American Medical Association‎, volume 91, number 24, →DOI, page 1855:
      Sedatives, contrary to popular lay and medical opinion, are invaluable in those who are not aided by the simpler means. Bromides, barbital and its innumerable offspring may be used with success, their administration being supplemented with a word of warning as to the evasion of any advice from the community grandmothers contrary to its use. The danger of forming a habit is to my mind nil, except in the few instances in which patients have felt that if a little is good more is better. The necessity for not advising the patient of the nature of the remedy, except that it is not a “dope,” is obvious. An alternation of remedies is advisable in long standing cases, and its practice never reveals any tendency to habit formation.
    • 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

Translations

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.

See also

Anagrams

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Golin

Alternative forms

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

Pronoun

nil (indefinite)

  1. nothing

Latin

Pronunciation

Pronoun

nīl (indeclinable)

  1. syncopic form of nihil (“nothing”)
    ‘Bene scripsisti de me, Thoma. Quam ergo mercedem accipies?’ ‘Nil nisi te, Domine.’
    ‘You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward would you like?’ ‘Nothing but you, Lord.’

Declension

Indeclinable pronoun (used only in the nominative and accusative), singular only.

More information singular, neuter ...

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
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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Hungarian nyíl.

Noun

nil n (uncountable)

  1. (regional) sling
    Synonym: praștie

Declension

More information singular only, indefinite ...

References

  • nil in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN
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Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English needle.

Noun

nil

  1. needle
  2. thorn

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