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ex nihilo nihil fit

American  
[eks ni-hi-loh ni-hil fit, eks nahy-hi-loh nahy-hil fit, nee-hi-loh-nee-hil] / ɛks ˈnɪ hɪˌloʊ ˈnɪ hɪl ˈfɪt, ɛks ˈnaɪ hɪˌloʊ ˈnaɪ hɪl ˈfɪt, ˈni hɪˌloʊˈni hɪl /
Latin.
  1. nothing is created from nothing.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This emergence of subjective feelings from physical stuff appears inconceivable and is at odds with a basic precept of physical thinking, the Ur-conservation law—ex nihilo nihil fit.

From Scientific American

I made the discovery that nothing takes longer in the saying than any thing else, for, as ex nihilo nihil fit, so from one polypus nothing any number of similar ones may be produced.

From Project Gutenberg

The old thought, well known in its scholastic formulation, ex nihilo nihil fit, in nihilum nihil potest reverti, is only another expression for the causal law as we have interpreted it above.

From Project Gutenberg

Ex nihilo nihil fit, because having never known any physical product without a pre-existing physical material, we cannot, or think we cannot, imagine a creation out of nothing.

From Project Gutenberg

Had there ever been nothing, there could never have been anything, for, Ex nihilo nihil fit.

From Project Gutenberg