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naught

 - 3 dictionary results

naught

[nawt]
–noun
1. nothing.
2. a cipher (0); zero.
–adjective
3. lost; ruined.
4. Archaic. worthless; useless.
5. Obsolete. morally bad; wicked.
–adverb
6. Obsolete. not.
7. come to naught, to come to nothing; be without result or fruition; fail.
8. set at naught, to regard or treat as of no importance; disdain: He entered a milieu that set his ideals at naught.
Also, nought.


Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE nauht, nāwiht ( no 1 + wiht thing). See nought, wight 1 , whit
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To naught
naught also nought   (nôt)   
n.  
  1. Nonexistence; nothingness.

  2. The figure 0; a cipher; a zero.

pron.  Nothing: All their work was for naught.
adj.  
  1. Nonexistent.

  2. Insignificant.


[Middle English, from Old English nāwiht : , no; see ne in Indo-European roots + wiht, thing; see wekti- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

naught

see come to nothing (naught).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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