English

Proper noun

Zilch

1. A surname​.

References

1. ↑ Papers in the case of Dodge vs Brooks, in The Miscellaneous Documents of the House of Representatives, printed during the first session of the thirty-ninth Congress, 1865‒'66, in three volumes, volume 1 (printed in 1866), page 326 has a record of a Henry Zilch living in New York in 1863.

German

Etymology

Attested since at least the 1600s.^[1]

Proper noun

Zilch

1. A surname​.

References

1. ↑ Theodor Wilhelm Ulmer, Chronik der königlich-baierischen Stadt Hersbruck (1872), page 76 has a record of a Hans Zilch from the 1600s.

English

Noun

zilch ‎(countable and uncountable, plural zilches)

1. (informal, uncountable) nothing.
   • 1991, Judith Arnold, One Good Turn‎, page 104:

     "If the homeless wind up with zilch," James retorted, veiling his indignation behind a malevolent smile, "it's because they deserve zilch."

2. (informal, countable) A person who is unimportant or lacks character; a nobody.

Synonyms

• zero (standard), zip (informal), nada (informal)

Translations

References

1. ↑ “zilch” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).