Etymograph

English

sub-zero

From sub- + zero.

A compound of sub- + zero

Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up; from below’

Proto-Italic *supo ‘under’

Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’

English sub-

Arabic صِفْر ‘nothing’

Medieval Latin zēphirum

Old Italian zero

Early Modern Spanish zero

English zero

Today it means

adj below 0°C; freezing cold

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sub-zero”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / sub-zero

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