year zero

noun

1. the beginning (1975) of the period during which Cambodia was under the control of the Khmer Rouge

2. the beginning of revolutionary change

3. the beginning of any new system or regime

Word History and Origins

Origin of year zero¹

C20: by analogy with Year One of the French Revolutionary calendar

Example Sentences

The number of new, half-hour shows from the BBC so far this year: zero.

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"Punk rock was like year zero for us," picks up Bono.

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The students graduating from four-year colleges and universities this month began their studies, for the most part, in Pandemic Year Zero.

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He won an International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences award for his 1979 film “Year Zero: The Silent Death Of Cambodia,” which revealed the extent of the Khmer Rouge’s atrocities.

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He won an International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences award for his 1979 film “Year Zero: The Silent Death Of Cambodia,” which revealed the extent of the Khmer Rouge’s atrocities.

Read more on Washington Times