What does "naught" mean?
Naught: 2. The arithmetical character 0; a cipher. See Cipher. To set at naught, to treat as of no account; to disregard; to despise; to defy; to treat with ignominy. "Ye have set at naught all my counsel." Prov. i.
Additional senses
- 2.In no degree; not at all. Chaucer. To wealth or sovereign power he naught applied. Fairfax.
- 3.Of no value or account; worthless; bad; useless. It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer. Prov. xx.
- 4.Go, get you to your house; begone, away! All will be naught else. Shak. Things naught and things indifferent. Hooker.
- 5.Hence, vile; base; naughty. [Obs.] No man can be stark naught at once. Fuller.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17 · Modified: 2026-07-17