nil

See also: Nil, NIL, níl, Níl, Nîl, ni-l, -nil-, and Appendix:Variations of "nil"

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɪl/

• Audio (UK)

  (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.

Translations

nothing

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

  Central Kurdish: ھیچ‎ (ku) (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)

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

• 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
• Nilmanil
• nil pai
• nilwa

 

References

• Gordon Bunn, Golin Grammar (1974)

---

Interlingua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nil/

Pronoun

nil (indefinite)

1. nothing

---

Latin

Etymology

Clipping 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]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /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

Etymology

English needle.

Noun

nil

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

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

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

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.