null
UK[nʌl]US[nʌl]
adj
having no legal or binding force; invalid.
adj
having or associated with the value zero.
n
a zero value or setting; nothing.
n
a condition of no signal or data.
Etymology
the word "null" entered english in the mid-16th century from the latin adjective nullus, meaning 'none'. Nullus itself is a contraction of the phrase ne unus, literally 'not one'. this etymological construction directly informs its core modern meanings of 'zero', 'invalid', or 'non-existent'. the journey from the literal latin 'not one' to the abstract concepts of legal invalidity and mathematical zero demonstrates a clear semantic evolution based on the fundamental idea of absence.
Analysis
the word "null" is a simplex loanword from latin. it does not contain separable morphemes in modern english spelling.
Examples
the contract was declared null and void.
the result of the calculation was null.
the device returned a null value.