nil
UK: nɪl | US: nɪl
n. zero; nothing (used especially in sports or technical contexts).
The word "nil" originates from the Latin nihil, meaning "nothing." It entered English in the 16th century, retaining its original sense of "zero" or "none." The term is commonly used in sports scores (e.g., "The match ended 2–0, or 'two-nil'") and technical contexts to denote absence or null value. Its concise form and clear meaning make it a practical borrowing from Latin.
The team's chances of winning were reduced to nil after the star player's injury.
The experiment yielded nil results, surprising the researchers.
"Score update: three-nil to the home team!" announced the commentator.
His contribution to the project was practically nil.
The contract states that liability is nil under these conditions.