ZERO

(Ital.?) A term generally used in reference to the thermometer, implying the point at which the graduation commences. The zero of Reaumur's and of the centigrade thermometer is the freezing point of water. The zero of Fahrenheit's scale is 32° below the point at which water congeals, being about the temperature of a mixture of salt and snow. See Thermometer. [s. 1352]