Old English nawiht "nothing," lit "no whit," from na "no" (from PIE root *ne- "no, not;" see un- (1)) + wiht "thing, creature, being" (see wight). Cognate with Old Saxon neowiht "nothing," Old High German niwiht, Gothic ni waihts. It also developed an adjectival sense in Old English, "good for nothing," which by mid-16c. had focused to "morally bad, wicked." In arithmetic, "the figure zero" from 1640s.
双语例句
1. Most election promises can be set at naught.
竞选时所做的许诺大都没有什么价值.
来自《简明英汉词典》
2. He sets at naught every convention of society.
他轻视所有的社会习俗.
来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
3. All our good planning came to naught.
我们所有的好计划结果都成泡影.
来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
4. How many imperial inches are there in one metric centimetre? — Naught point three nine three seven inches.
一厘米等于多少英寸? ——等于0.397英寸.
来自《简明英汉词典》
5. Like the Tehran experience, the shredding may be all for naught.