English
Alternative spellings
Noughties
Etymology
nought, zero + -ies, plural of -y, the ending of the multiples of ten from twenty to ninety, in imitation of the names of other decades (twenties, thirties, etc)
Noun
noughties pluralonly
- A proposed, slightly humorous, name for the decade from 2000 to 2009.
Synonyms
2000s
Usage notes
This is a recent coinage that has come about because of the lack of a word analogous to twenty, thirty, etc, that means "the numbers from 0 to 9".
Unlike the names for other decades, it is used only for the first decade of the twenty-first century. The first decade of the twentieth century is frequently referred to in the UK as the Edwardian era as it coincides very closely with the reign of King Edward VII. Elsewhere, and for other centuries, terms such as at the turn of the century or in the early years of the century are used.
Like twenties, etc, the word is sometimes capitalised.
Category:English nouns
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