Etymology

zilch

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Today it means: A nobody: a person who is worthless in importance or character. Full definition →

German Zilch
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zilch · noun, adjective, verb1

Probably from Joe Zilch, a placeholder name (compare John Doe) used by Nunnally Johnson in his column in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1923; in turn from Joe Zilch, an unseen character referenced in comedian Frank Tinney's stage routine. Compare the rare German surname Zilch.

Zilch · proper noun2

  1. German · borrowed fromZilch
  2. English todayZilch

From German Zilch. Found in America since at least the 1860s. As a 1930s placeholder surname of uncertain etymology, the eventual etymon of zilch.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.