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92 definitions found

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) : [ foldoc ]


  NIL
       
          /nil/ 1. New Implementation of Lisp.  A language intended to
          be the successor of MacLisp.  A large Lisp, implemented
          mostly in VAX assembly language.  A forerunner of Common
          LISP.
       
          ["NIL: A Perspective", Jon L. White, MACSYMA Users' Conf Proc,
          1979].
       
          2. Network Implementation Language.  Strom & Yemini, TJWRC,
          IBM.  Implementation of complex networking protocols in a
          modular fashion.
       
          ["NIL: An Integrated Language and System for Distributed
          Programming", R. Strom et al, SIGPLAN Notices 18(6):73-82
          (June 1983)].
       
          3. Empty list or False.  In Lisp, the empty list (or "nil
          list") is used to represent the Boolean value False.  This
          is possible because Lisp is not typed.  True is represented
          by the special atom "t".
       
          4. Spoken in reply to a question, particularly one asked using
          the "-P" convention it means "No".  Most hackers assume this
          derives simply from LISP, but NIL meaning "no" was
          well-established among radio hams decades before LISP existed.
          The historical connection between early hackerdom and the ham
          radio world was strong enough that this may have been an
          influence.
       
          [{Jargon File]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 : [ gcide ]


  Nil \Nil\ [See Nill, v. t.]
     Will not. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 : [ gcide ]


  Nil \Nil\, n. & a. [L., a contr. of nihil.]
     Nothing; of no account; worthless; -- a term often used for
     canceling, in accounts or bookkeeping. --A. J. Ellis.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 : [ gcide ]


  Nil \Nil\, n. (computers)
     A special value for a variable used in certain computer
     languages to mean no assigned value, to be distinguished from
     the value zero.
     [PJC]

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) : [ jargon ]


  NIL /nil/ No. Used in reply to a question, particularly one asked using
     the `-P' convention. Most hackers assume this derives simply from LISP
     terminology for `false' (see also T), but NIL as a negative reply was
     well-established among radio hams decades before the advent of LISP. The
     historical connection between early hackerdom and the ham radio world
     was strong enough that this may have been an influence.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) : [ web1913 ]


  Nil \Nil\ [See Nill, v. t.]
     Will not. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) : [ web1913 ]


  Nil \Nil\, n. & a. [L., a contr. of nihil.]
     Nothing; of no account; worthless; -- a term often used for
     canceling, in accounts or bookkeeping. --A. J. Ellis.

From WordNet (r) 2.0 : [ wn ]


  nil
       n : a quantity of no importance; "it looked like nothing I had
           ever seen before"; "reduced to nil all the work we had
           done"; "we racked up a pathetic goose egg"; "it was all
           for naught"; "I didn't hear zilch about it" [syn: nothing,
            nix, nada, null, aught, cipher, cypher, goose
           egg, naught, zero, zilch, zip]

From Greek Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-el-ALL-2023-07-27 ]


  Nil
     Κροατικά n.
     ο (τόπος hr ποταμός Αφρική 0=-) Νείλος

From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]


  n-il
     Old Irish a.
     (eclipsis of sga il)

From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]


  ni-l
     Romanian contraction
     ''contraction of '''ne''' and '''îl'''''

From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]


  nil
     Golin alt.
     liquid; water
     Golin n.
     liquid; water
     Interlingua pron.
     nothing
     Tok Pisin n.
     1 needle
     2 thorn

From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]


  nil-
     pre.
     zero

From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]


  Nil
     Czech n.
     Nile
     Danish n.
     (inflection of da Nilen  indef s nocat=1)
     German n.
     (place de major river
  c/Burundi,Rwanda,Tanzania,Kenya,Congo,Uganda,Ethiopia,South
  Sudan,Sudan,Egypt emptying into the Mediterranean t=Nile)
     Occitan n.
     Nile
     Serbo-Croatian n.
     (place sh major river cont/Africa t1=Nile)

From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]


  NIL
     n.
     1 (lb en nanotechnology) (initialism of en nanoimprint lithography)
     2 (lb en law US Canada) (initialism of en name, image, and likeness)

From English Wiktionary: English language only (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-en-2023-07-27 ]


  nil
     det.
     No, not any.
     n.
     nothing; zero.

From English Wiktionary: English language only (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-en-2023-07-27 ]


  nil-
     pre.
     zero

From English Wiktionary: English language only (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-en-2023-07-27 ]


  NIL
     n.
     1 (lb en nanotechnology) (initialism of en nanoimprint lithography)
     2 (lb en law US Canada) (initialism of en name, image, and likeness)