The JCAHO directs that a zero always be inserted before a decimal point when no other digit appears there (e.g., 0.5 mg, not .5 mg) and that a zero never be inserted after a decimal point when no other digit appears there (e.g., 5 mg, not 5.0 mg). (1) The figure 0, indicating the absence of magnitude, or nothing. (2) In thermometry, the point from which the figures on the scale start in one or the other direction; in the Celsius and Réaumur scales, zero indicates the freezing point for distilled water; in the Fahrenheit scale, it is 32° below the freezing point of water. [Sp. fr. Ar. sifr, cipher]
