ex nihilo

[ eks nahy-uh-loh, nee-uh- ]

/ ˌɛks ˈnaɪ əˌloʊ, ˈni ə- /

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out of nothing; from nothing.

QUIZZES

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 12

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin ex nihilō, equivalent to ex + nihilō (ablative singular of nihil “nothing”); see origin at ex-¹, nil

However, legal issues are only one of the things standing between an ex-prisoner and a job.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But almost to the man, the first thing every ex-con tells me is how hard it is to find work.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For Randy, a 50-year-old ex-Mormon gay man, this cure was a particularly bitter pill to swallow.
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
EURO was founded by David Duke, the ex-Klansman who ran for Louisiana governor in 1991.
Racists Melt Down Over Steve Scalise|Emily Shire|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

According to the friend, Brinsley rang his ex-girlfriend, an Air Force reservist named Shaneka Thompson, to no avail.
Alleged Cop Killer’s Blood-Soaked Screenplay|M.L. Nestel|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The expatriated ex-rebels became alarmed by the non-receipt of the indemnity instalment and the news from their homes.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Ea & hreticorum repulit iniquitatem, & Nostros in nauim non iam vt hospites, sed vt magna ex parte Dominos, potentsq imposuit.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Ex quibus apparet, qum multa omnis generis perferenda fuerint.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Seqvitvr iam ex initio propositis tertium, nimirum vt exponatur, quonam tand loco rem Christianam his in locis offenderimus.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
He evinced the opposite of the temper usually ascribed to the “Shepherd-boy” —a birth-date by Ex.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)