Main Entry: 1null Pronunciation: \ˈnəl\ Function: adjective Etymology: Anglo-French nul, literally, not any, from Latin nullus, from ne- not + ullus any; akin to Latin unus one — more at no, one Date: circa 1567 1 : having no legal or binding force : invalid 2 : amounting to nothing : nil 3 : having no value : insignificant 4 a : having no elements <null set> b : having zero as a limit <null sequence> c of a matrix : having all elements equal to zero 5 a : indicating usually by a zero reading on a scale when a given quantity (as current or voltage) is zero or when two quantities are equal —used of an instrument b : being or relating to a method of measurement in which an unknown quantity (as of electric current) is compared with a known quantity of the same kind and found equal by a null detector 6 : of, being, or relating to zero 7 : zero 1c