Dictionary:

zero

  (zîr'ō, zē'rō)

1. The numerical symbol 0; a cipher.
2. Mathematics.
   1. The identity element for addition.
   2. A cardinal number indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration.
   3. An ordinal number indicating an initial point or origin.
   4. An argument at which the value of a function vanishes.
3. The temperature indicated by the numeral 0 on a thermometer.
4. A sight setting that enables a firearm to shoot on target.
5. Informal. One having no influence or importance; a nonentity: a manager who was a total zero.
6. The lowest point: His prospects were approaching zero.
7. A zero-coupon bond.
8. Informal. Nothing; nil: Today I accomplished zero.

1. Of, relating to, or being zero.
2. 1. Having no measurable or otherwise determinable value.
   2. Informal. Absent, inoperative, or irrelevant in specified circumstances: “The town has . . . practically no opportunities for amusement, zero culture” (Robert M. Adams).
3. Meteorology.
   1. Designating a ceiling not more than 16 meters (52 feet) high.
   2. Limited in horizontal visibility to no more than 55 meters (180 feet).
4. Linguistics. Of or relating to a morpheme that is expected by an established, regular paradigm but has no spoken or written form. Moose has a zero plural; that is, its plural is moose.

To adjust (an instrument or a device) to zero value.

zero in

1. 1. To aim or concentrate firepower on an exact target location.
   2. To adjust the aim or sight of by repeated firings.
2. To converge intently; close in: The children zeroed in on the display of toys in the store window.

1. To eliminate (a budget or budget item) by cutting off funding.
2. To reduce to zero.

[Italian, from alteration of Medieval Latin zephirum, from Arabic ṣifr, nothing, cipher. See cipher.]

In mathematics, the concept zero is used in two ways: as a number and as a value of a variable. The positional system of number notation, developed first by the Babylonians (about 500 b.c.) with the base 60, and a millennium later by the Hindus and the Chinese with the base 10, required for greater clarity a special marker of the empty, nonoccupied position.

The zero as a number, however, is a new concept, introduced by the Hindus and Chinese about the same time (6th century). Brahmagupta (born a.d. 598) remarked that the number 0 has special properties: a ± 0 = a, and a · 0 = 0, where a may be any number (integer).

In a modern way, zero can be called the identity element of the infinite Abelian additive group of integers. If in an integral domain a product is equal to zero, then at least one factor of the product is zero. In the second concept zero is the value of a variable for which a function is equal to zero.

noun

1. A totally insignificant person: cipher, nebbish, nobody, nonentity, nothing. Informal pip-squeak. Slang shrimp, zilch. See important/unimportant.
2. No thing; not anything: nil, nothing, null. Slang nix, zilch. Archaic aught. See absence.

phrasal verb - zero in

To move (a weapon or blow, for example) in the direction of someone or something: aim, cast, direct, head, level, point, set¹, train, turn. Military lay¹. See seek/avoid.

Definition: nothing
Antonyms: anything, being, something, thing

1. To set to 0. Usually said of small pieces of data, such as bits or words (esp. in the construction zero out).

2. To erase; to discard all data from. Said of disks and directories, where ‘zeroing’ need not involve actually writing zeroes throughout the area being zeroed. One may speak of something being logically zeroed rather than being physically zeroed. See scribble.

Short for zero hour.

set the sights of (a gun) for firing.

zero in take aim with a gun or missile: jet fighters zeroed in on the rebel positions.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

For more information on zero, visit Britannica.com.

The point on a thermometer scale from which the graduations begin. The zero of the Celsius (centigrade) scale is the ice point; on the Fahrenheit scale it is 32° below the ice point.

• absolute z. — the lowest possible temperature, designated 0 on the Kelvin or Rankine scale, the equivalent of −273.15° C or −459.67° F.

Calibrating a meter so that it shows a value of zero when zero is being measured.

To set the sights of a weapon so that a proper sight picture will obtain a bull on the rifle range. Any officer. Taken from the pay grades (O-1 to O-10). Also a Japanese aircraft in World War II.

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Dansk (Danish)
num. - tallet nul
v. tr. - indstille, nulstille
n. - nul, nulpunkt, frysepunkt
adj. - intet

idioms:

• zero hour    tidspunkt for start af noget
• zero in on    koncentrere sig om
• zero option    ingen valgmuligheder

Nederlands (Dutch)
nul, nulpunt, geen enkele, op nul zetten, richten (vuurwapen)

Français (French)
n. - (gén, Math, Météo) zéro, (fig) zéro
adj. - zéro, nul (le voltage, la tension)
v. tr. - mettre à zéro

idioms:

• zero hour    (Mil) l'heure H, (fig) le moment critique ou décisif
• zero in    (Mil) viser
• zero in on    (Mil) viser (une cible), (fig) cerner, se rabattre sur (une possibilité), foncer droit sur (qn), repérer (un endroit)
• zero option    (Pol) l'option zéro

Deutsch (German)
n. - Null, Nullpunkt
adj. - null
v. - auf Null einstellen
num. - Null

idioms:

• zero hour    die Stunde X
• zero in    Visier abstimmen
• zero in on    sich einschießen auf, sich konzentrieren auf
• zero option    Nullösung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μηδέν
adj. - μηδενικός
v. - μηδενίζω

idioms:

• zero hour    ώρα μηδέν, ώρα επιθέσεως
• zero in on    συγκλίνω προς, σημαδεύω, συγκεντρώνω τα πυρά μου εναντίον
• zero option    μηδενική επιλογή (σε πρόγραμμα αμοιβαίου αφοπλισμού)

Italiano (Italian)
zero

idioms:

• zero hour    ora zero
• zero in    mirare
• zero in on    concentrarsi
• zero on    mirare su
• zero option    opzione zero

Português (Portuguese)
n. - zero (m), nada
adj. - relacionado a zero
v. - zerar

idioms:

• absolute zero    zero absoluto
• zero hour    hora H
• zero in on    concentrar forças em
• zero option    opção zero

Русский (Russian)
нуль, начало координат, ничто, нулевой, устанавливать на нуль, определять нуль (прибора и т.п.)

idioms:

• absolute zero    абсолютный нуль
• zero hour    решительный час, время начала наступления войск, полночь
• zero in on    нацеливаться на что-л.
• zero option    нулевой вариант

Español (Spanish)
n. - cero
adj. - de cero
v. tr. - llevar a cero, poner en cero, apuntar

idioms:

• zero hour    hora H, hora cero, momento decisivo
• zero in    centrarse, apuntar hacia
• zero in on    centrar la puntería en
• zero option    opción cero

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - noll (-a), nollpunkt, fryspunkt, nolla (om person), avgörande ögonblick, noll- (språkv.)
adj. - noll-, nollställd
v. - nolla, nollställa

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
零, 对...作归零校正, 校正...的瞄准器, 零点, 零度, 零点的, 零度的, 没有的, 全无的

idioms:

• zero hour    零时, 关键时刻, 发动进攻的时刻
• zero in on    矛头集中指向, 对...作协调校正, 向...集中火力, 向...集中注意力
• zero option    零选择裁军, 如果苏联从欧洲撤除SS-20飞弹美国也放弃部署巡弋飞弹

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
num. - 零
v. tr. - 對...作歸零校正, 校正...的瞄準器
n. - 零點, 零度
adj. - 零點的, 零度的, 沒有的, 全無的

idioms:

• zero hour    零時, 關鍵時刻, 發動進攻的時刻
• zero in on    矛頭集中指向, 對...作協調校正, 向...集中火力, 向...集中注意力
• zero option    零選擇裁軍, 如果蘇聯從歐洲撤除SS-20飛彈美國也放棄部署巡弋飛彈

한국어 (Korean)
num. - 0 (아라비아 숫자의)
v. tr. - 제로에 맞추다, 집중하다, 영의 값으로 하다
n. - 영 , 영점, 최하점
adj. - 영의, 결여되어 있는, 제로인

idioms:

• zero in on    조준을 ~에 맞추다, ~에 포화를 집중하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ゼロ, 零度, 最下点, 何もないこと
adj. - ゼロの

idioms:

• zero hour    予定行動開始時刻, 発射時刻, 始めようとするとき, 決定的瞬間
• zero in on    ねらう, 注意を集中する
• zero option    ゼロオプション

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) صفر, لا شيء, شخص عديم القيمه (صفه) تافه, لا يسوى شيئا, قيمته صفر (فعل) يصفر العداد, يجهز ناظور البندقيه للتهديف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אפס‬
adj. - ‮מסתכם באפס, חסר גודל או כמות מדידים‬
v. tr. - ‮איפס (מכשיר), כייל כוונות (של רובה)‬

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