- nothing
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/nuth"ing/, n.1. no thing; not anything; naught: to say nothing.2. no part, share, or trace (usually fol. by of): The house showed nothing of its former magnificence.3. something that is nonexistent.4. nonexistence; nothingness: The sound faded to nothing.5. something or someone of no importance or significance: Money is nothing when you're without health.6. a trivial action, matter, circumstance, thing, or remark: to exchange a few nothings when being introduced.7. a person of little or no importance; a nobody.8. something that is without quantity or magnitude.9. a cipher or naught: Nothing from nine leaves nine.10. (used in conventional responses to expressions of thanks): Think nothing of it. It's nothing. Nothing to it.11. for nothing,a. free of charge.b. for no apparent reason or motive.c. futilely; to no avail: They had gone to a great deal of expense for nothing.12. in nothing flat, in very little time: Dinner was finished in nothing flat.13. make nothing of,a. to treat lightly; regard as easy.b. to be unsuccessful in comprehending: He could make nothing of the complicated directions.14. nothing but, nothing other than; only: We could see nothing but fog.15. nothing doing,a. Informal. emphatically no; certainly not.b. no activity, inducement, advantage, etc., present to the eye: We drove through the town but there seemed to be nothing doing.16. nothing less than or short of, absolutely; completely: She was used to nothing less than the best.17. think nothing of,a. to treat casually.b. to regard as insignificant: He thinks nothing of lying to conceal his incompetence.adv.18. in no respect or degree; not at all: It was nothing like that. Nothing dismayed, he repeated his question.adj.19. amounting to nothing, as in offering no prospects for satisfaction, advancement, or the like: She was stuck in a nothing job.[bef. 900; ME; OE nanthing, nathing; see NO2, THING1]
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Universalium. 2010.