Solving mathematical problems, reading literature, or simply communicating with different people, many are wondering, is it correct - “zero” or “zero”?
In our language there are words whose spelling you just need to remember. For example, we know that we need to write -– in the first syllable of the word “milk” and in the second syllable of the word “city”, although in both cases we say -a-. There can simply be no other vowels in these words. However, in this article we will turn to words that have a more complex history. Let’s figure out how to correctly - “zero” or “zero”. The question is interesting.
How did the words “zero” and “zero” appear in Russian?
Before you start talking about how to write “zero” or “zero”, you need to get a little acquainted with the history of these words.
Perhaps, assistance in creating a “window to Europe” is the most famous, but far from the most important merit of Peter the Great. The emperor of the Russian land established shipbuilding in our country, laid down St. Petersburg, carried out a reform of the language and ... introduced the word "zero" into the Russian language. It is precisely known that the mentioned lexemes existed in Russian in the 18th century. But in the Old Russian language they, apparently, did not exist. The calculation in the Cyrillic system was calculated from unity, and the numbers were recorded using letters. This, of course, does not mean that before Peter the Great there was no concept that is indicated by the word "zero", but it had a different verbal designation. Ancient Russian mathematicians called and used the word “onom” (because the sign “0” resembles the letter “o”) or “nothing”.
It is most likely that the word denoting the absence of any number came into the Russian language through German and Swedish. Moreover, if “zero” (“null”) came to us from German, then “zero” (“noll”) moved from Swedish to Russian soil. Both options are descended from lat. “Nullus” is “nothing.”
Having penetrated the Russian language, two versions of the new word began to fight for the sphere of influence, but apparently, the very meaning of the token “zero” influenced the fact that the result of this struggle was an unfortunate draw.
The meanings of the words “zero” and “zero”
In modern Russian, the words in question have not one, but several meanings, which are noted in the explanatory dictionary:
1. The number that, when added, does not affect the amount: 2 + 0 = 2.
2. A sign denoting this number, as well as used in numbers that are multiples of ten: 10, 20, ..., 1000, etc.
3. Moved. A person who has achieved nothing in life or in some field of activity: he is a complete zero in mathematics .
Moreover, the explanatory dictionary does not say how to write correctly - “zero” or “zero”, because both forms are normalized. However, differences still exist, and they relate to the scope of use of these words.
When you need to say "zero"
You can not use "zero" in the composition of such expressions:
- Zero without a stick (colloquial expression) - about a person who does not have authority or influence. In a business environment, he is zero without a stick .
- Zero-zero - in the exact designation of time and count. The teams finished the first round with a score of zero-zero .
- Zero attention (colloquial, playful) - about a person who does not listen to anything, does not accept anyone's advice and acts in his own way. We told him a thousand times what to do right, but he is zero attention .
In the above phrases in the token denoting a number, you must always use the letter -o.
When you need to say "zero"
In the following expressions, you must use only the zero token:
- To be equal to zero is about the results of mathematical calculations.
- To be at zero - about the weather, air temperature, and also in colloquial speech - about the period of life when there is no money.
- To start everything from scratch - to start all over again, to achieve everything on your own.
- Cut (cut) to zero - cut very short.
- To reduce to zero is to make something completely unimportant, irrelevant. He wrote a book for a long time, but then threw it and reduced all his efforts to zero .
Cases when both options are possible
Now that we have generally figured out how to correctly write “zero” and “zero”, and realized that using both words does not contradict the norms of the Russian language, let's see if there are cases where both options are equal.
- The adjective “ zero ” is used when it comes to the characterization of some actions or qualities: zero level, zero patient (the first patient in whom the disease was diagnosed), zero class (preparatory). The adjective “ zero ” is most often used as a term: the zero method . Although in the dictionary of the Russian language these two words are still given as stylistically equal.
- Speaking of an absolutely unsuccessful or unsuccessful person, we can think about how to correctly - “zero” or “zero”. The expression " absolute zero " is used when it comes to a person: As a leader, she is an absolute zero . The phrase “ absolute zero ” is used when it comes to an exact indicator of something: Absolute zero on the Kelvin scale .
- The diminutive forms “ zero ” and “ zero ” are recognized as equal, although the first option is most often encountered.
To summarize. The words "zero" and "zero" in modern Russian are normalized. You can learn how to correctly - “zero” or “zero” by analyzing the context of speech. In addition, the token "zero" begins to gradually become obsolete, but still remains in stable terms.