Nullness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being devoid of any substance or existence
2. A condition in which there is an absence of meaning or value
3. The condition of having no actual being or physical presence ; the attribute of lacking any significance or worth

Etymology: "Nullness" is simply "null" with the suffix "-ness" added, and the suffix is what gives it its abstract sense. "Null" came into English from Latin "nullus", meaning "not any" or "none", through Old French "nul", which is why the word still carries the flavour of nothingness that the older form had. The suffix "-ness", from Old English "-nes", turns an adjective into a noun naming a state or quality, so "null" (having no effect or value) becomes "nullness", the condition of being null. Because "null" is used most often in technical settings, such as a null set in mathematics or a null pointer in computing, "nullness" tends to appear in those fields as well, where it names the state of having no value at all. Its meaning in ordinary speech is therefore close to that of "nothingness" or "emptiness", but with a more precise, sometimes clinical edge.

Synonyms: emptiness, void, nothingness

Antonyms: fullness, completeness