Phrase guide

zero ending

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The absence of an ending after a noun‐stem in a language in which endings are normally applied; often written as ∅.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • The Polish word for "cat" is "kot". Its genitive form is "kota", which has the ending "–a". Because the nominative form consists of the stem without an ending, it can be said that "kot" has the zero ending. In a table listing the endings one could hence write: "Nominative: –∅, Genitive: –a".

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.