From theMiddle Englishnaught,nought,naht,nawiht, fromOld Englishnawiht. Cognate withWest Frisianneat(“nothing, naught”).Doublet ofnought. Equivalent tone +aught.
naught
- Nothing.
Naught can come of this, you mark my words.
1961,Harry E. Wedeck,Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page215:Eat! Drink! Love! for all else isnaught.
1994, Mike Hayes,Tell Us Anothree! More yarns from all around Australia, Sydney: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, published2001, page24:But that wasnaught to my old mate, he didn't mind at all.
2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, inRAIL, number970, page56:My day starts where yesterday's had finished - at St Pancras, only this time on Thameslink and the subterranean station I first visited when it wasnaught but an empty box. Now it's a vital cross-London interchange.
naught (countable anduncountable,pluralnaughts)
- (archaic)Nothingness.
- (chiefly US, dated)Alternative spelling ofnought.
naught
- (archaic)Alternative spelling ofnought(“zero”).
naught
- alternative form ofnought
naught
- alternative form ofnought
naught
- alternative form ofnought
naught
- alternative form ofnought
