nihilum

nihil-um

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[1160] nihilum, ī, n. (ni [= ne] u. hilum), nichts, I) subst.: ex nihilo oriatur, Cic.: de nihilo fiat, aus nichts, Cic.: hoc quod vivimus proximum nihiloest, Sen.: ad nihilum redigere, vernichten, Liv.: ad nihilum venire od. recĭdere, Cic., od. in nihilum interire od. occĭdere, Cic., zunichte werden, zerfallen (s. Meißner Cic. Tusc. 2, 5): pro nihilo est, ist so gut wie nichts, Cic.: pro nihilo putare od. ducere, Cic., od. habere, Caecil. com. fr. u.Liv.: nihilo addito, Plin.: Ggstz., quod se receptura sit in aliquid omnino de nihilo, Tert. de res. carn. 4. – mit folg. Genet., nihilum eius, Cic.: non nihilum divinationis, Vopisc. Aurel. 4, 3. – Besondere Redeweisen: a) nihili, von keinem Werte, nichts wert, nichts taugend, bestia nihili, Plaut.: nihili argumentum, Varro LL.: homo nihili, Varro, u. bl. nihili, Plaut., ein nichtswürdiger Mensch: ›nequam‹ homo nihili neque rei neque frugis bonae, Gell.: ex quo idem (homo) nihili dicitur, Cic.: aber homo nihili factus, kastrierter, Plaut.: verbum nihili, Plaut.: nihili pendĕre, Ter., od. facere, Cic. u. Plaut., aestimare, Cic., für nichts halten. – b) de nihilo, um nichts = ohne Grund, ohne Ursache, Liv.: non de nihilo, nicht ohne Grund, Komik. u. Liv. – c) nihilō (Abl.), um nichts, bei Compar. u. anderen Wörtern, die eine Verschiedenheit bedeuten, nihilo maius, Cic.: nihilo secius, nichtsdestoweniger, Caes.: nihilo secius tamen, Varro LL.: nihilo tamen secius, Caes.: nihilo magis, Cic., od. nihilo plus, Ter., um nichts mehr, ebensowenig. – nihilo minus, α) um nichts weniger, d.i. gerade so viel, quattuor, nihilo minus, Plaut. Men. 953. – β) um nichts weniger, nichtsdestoweniger, d.i. ebensowohl, Cic. u. Caes. (umgek. minus nilo, Caecil. com. 92): nihilo minus tamen od. tamen nihilo minus, Cic., Nep. u.a.: mit folg. quam, Cic., od. at que (ac), als, Lucr. – γ) weniger als nichts, Ter.: u. so nilo od. nihilo deterius = nihilominus, nichtsdestoweniger, Hor. sat. 1, 5, 67. Ascon. Cic. Mil. § 9 Halm (wo Kießling ohne Not mit Madvig nihil deterrimus). – ferner nihilo aliter, um nichts anderes, Ter. – d) non nihilo, einigermaßen, aestimare, Cic. – II) adv. (als Acc.), in keiner Hinsicht, keineswegs (verstärktes non), Hor. u. Liv. – / Über die zsgzg. Form nīlum s. Lachm. Lucr. 1, 159. p. 28.

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Univerbation of ne- +‎ hīlum; both the lack of elision of the first vowel and the shortening of the second are unexpected.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈni.(ɦ)ɪ.ɫũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈniː.ki.lum]

Noun

nihilum n (genitive nihilī); second declension

1. nothing

   Et possidebunt illam onocrotalus et ericius et ibis et corvus habitabunt in ea et extendetur super eam mensura ut redigatur ad nihilum et perpendiculum in desolationem

   The bittern and ericius shall possess it: and the ibis and the raven shall dwell in it: and a line shall be stretched out upon it, to bring it to nothing, and a plummet, unto desolation. Isaias 34:11.

2. (of) no value (in the genitive singular)

Usage notes

• The nominative/accusative singular form nihilum is far less frequent overall than the indeclinable nihil. The form nihilum occurs especially as the object of the preposition ad or in, where it has the sense "nothing(ness)", while nihilappears more often without a preposition, and tends instead to have the sense of a negative indefinite pronoun "not anything". But there are rare examples where nihilum is used without a preposition and has the sense "not anything".
• The genitive nihilī is only used in Classical Latin as a genitive of value, with the sense "worthless".
• The ablative form nihilō is often used as an adverb, particularly as part of the phrase nihilō minus "none the less" (also written as one word nihilōminus).
• No plural forms are attested in Classical Latin. The forms nihila (nom./acc./voc.), nihilōrum (gen.), nihilīs (dat./abl.) are attested in postclassical philosophical or mathematical texts.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	nihilum	nihila
genitive	nihilī	nihilōrum
dative	nihilō	nihilīs
accusative	nihilum	nihila
ablative	nihilō	nihilīs
vocative	nihilum	nihila