nothing Copy link Outline I. Non-existence, no-being, nonentityII. Not anything1. nĭhil, contr. nīl, indecl. n.; with nulla res to supply its place where an inflected form is required, or after a preposition (concerning nihili, nihilo, v. supr.)2. (in imperative sentences, or after a verb of asking, commanding, striving, etc.), nē quid, ut ne quid • nothing: I. Non-existence, no-being, nonentity: nĭhĭlum: to be created out of n., de n. creari, gigni, fieri, Lucr. 1, 157, sqq.: to reduce things to n., ad n. interimere res., ib. 217: to spring from n. or return to n., ex n. oriri aut in nihilum occidere, Cic. Div. 2, 16, fin. (the use of nil in this sense., Lucr. 1, 267, ad nil revocari, is exceptional., and not to be imitated): to value at n. (attach no value at all to), nihili facere, pendere, Pl.: Ter.: v. to value. II. Not anything: 1. nĭhil, contr. nīl, indecl. n.; with nulla res to supply its place where an inflected form is required, or after a preposition (concerning nihili, nihilo, v. supr.): that n. can be created out of n., nil posse creari de nihilo, Lucr. 1, 157: n. is better than agriculture, nihil (the form always used by Cic. in prose) est agricultura melius, Cic. Off. 1., 42., fin.: to do n., n. agere, Cic. Sen. 6: freq. used with ref. to persons: n. so pitiable as the wretched man who was once happy, n. tam miserabile quam ex beato miser, Cic. Part. Or. 17, init. Strengthened by quicquam: n. whatever that is excellent, n. quicquam egregium, id. de Or. 1, 30, 134. Nothing but, n. else than, n. nisi, Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 40; n. aliud nisi, Cic. Am. 27, init.; n. praeter, id. Fam. 4, 7. Note also the foll. phr.: it is n. to us, n. ad nos, id. in Pis. 28, 68: n. in comparison with ..., n. ad ..., id. de Or. 2, 6, 25: I have n. to do with you, tecum n. rei nobis est, Ter. Ph. 2, 3, 74. (N.B.--For the use of nulla res, as the inflected form, cf. Nep. Reg. 2, nullius rei [not nihili] cupidus, nisi imperii, covetous of n. but empire: Cic. Br. 59, fin., nulla re una oratorem magis commendari ..., by nothing whatever, no single thing. This form may also be used for emphasis instead of nihil: cf. Lucr. 1, 151, nullam rem e nihilo gigni divinitus unquam.) 2. (in imperative sentences, or after a verb of asking, commanding, striving, etc.), nē quid, ut ne quid: n. in excess! ne quid nimis! Ter. Andr. 1, 1, 34: (we must arouse our diligence) so that we may do n. heedlessly, ut ne quid inconsiderate agamus, Cic. Off. 1, 29, 103: strengthened by prorsus: ut prorsus ne quid ignorem, may absolutely be ignorant of nothing. (N.B.--In gen. and dat., rei must be added: I will strive to be forgetful of n., *enitar ne cujus rei immemor esse videar. Ne cujus = of no person.) Phr.: good for n., nēquam (v. good-for-nothing): n. but (= sheer, unqualified), mĕrus: he speaks of n. but war, merum bellum loquitur, Cic. Att. 9, 13, fin.