Standard Lemma guide

zeroth

adj · 3 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australian, New-Zealand, UK: /ˈzɪəɹəʊθ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: zîrʹōth
  • US: zēʹrōth
  • US: /ˈzɪɹoʊθ/
  • US: /ˈziɹoʊθ/
  • rhymes with -ɪəɹəʊθ
  • rhymes with -iːɹəʊθ

1

adj

Meaning 1

In the initial position in a sequence whose elements are numbered starting at zero; the ordinal number corresponding to zero.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • The zeroth order polynomial approximation is constant.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Corresponding to a position preceding the first.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • A and C are in equilibrium following the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

preceding even the first

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From zero + -th (ordinal suffix).

Across languages

Translations

51 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: صِفْرِيّ (ṣifriyy) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Armenian: զրոերորդ (zroerord) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Belarusian: нулявы́ (nuljavý) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Bulgarian: ну́лев (núlev) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Chinese Mandarin: 第零 (dì-líng) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Czech: nultý — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Danish: nulte — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Esperanto: nula — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Esperanto: nulaj — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Finnish: nollas — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • French: zérotième — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • French: nullième — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • French: zéroième — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Georgian: ნულოვანი (nulovani) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • German: nullte — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Greek: μηδενικός (midenikós) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Gujarati: શૂન્યમું (śūnyamũ) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Hungarian: nulladik — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Ido: zeresma — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Irish: nialasach — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Italian: zeresimo — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Japanese: 第零 (dairei) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Japanese: 第ゼロ (dai-zero) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Japanese: 零番目 (reiban-me) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Japanese: ゼロ番目 (zero-ban-me) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Kazakh: нөлінші (nölınşı) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Korean: 영째 (yeongjjae) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Korean: 영번째 (yeongbeonjjae) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Kyrgyz: нөлүнчү (nölüncü) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Macedonian: нулти (nulti) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Malay: kekosong — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nulte — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Iranian Persian: صِفْرُم (sefrom) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Polish: zerowy — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Portuguese: zerésimo — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Russian: нулево́й (nulevój) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Slovak: nultý — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Spanish: cero — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Spanish: ceroésimo — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Swedish: nollte — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Tatar: нуленчы (nulençı) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Turkish: sıfırıncı — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Ukrainian: нульо́вий (nulʹóvyj) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Urdu: صِفَرْواں (sifarvā̃) — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Welsh: serofed — ordinal number corresponding to zero
  • Bulgarian: нулев (nulev) — corresponding to a position preceding the first
  • Finnish: nollas — corresponding to a position preceding the first
  • Georgian: ნულოვანი (nulovani) — corresponding to a position preceding the first
  • German: nullte — corresponding to a position preceding the first
  • Italian: zeresimo — corresponding to a position preceding the first
  • Iranian Persian: صِفْرُم (sefrom) — corresponding to a position preceding the first