noun
ought
Zero, in older or dialectal speech.
The old account book writes the year with an ought.
Etymology
This ought is a variant of aught used for zero, influenced by naught. It is separate from the modal ought meaning should.
More examples
- His grandfather called the zero an ought.
- The dialect story used ought for the empty place in the number.
- The teacher explained the older use of ought to mean zero.
Forms
ought · oughts