nichtnuller

Nichtnuller is a German term meaning non-null or not zero. It is used as a noun and as an adjective in various disciplines, most commonly in mathematics and computer science. In mathematics, ein Nichtnuller denotes an element of a structure that is not the distinguished null (zero) element. For instance, in a ring R with additive identity 0, an element a ∈ R is a Nichtnuller if a ≠ 0. The term highlights the absence of the null element rather than implying any additional properties; therefore a Nichtnuller need not be invertible or free from zero divisors by itself. Because usage varies across authors, many texts prefer phrases like nicht Nullwert or simply nicht Null to express nonzero values.

In programming and data management, nicht-null refers to a value that exists (not a null or missing value). In databases, a field with nicht-null constraint must contain a value for every record, while a null field is allowed to be missing. In software documentation, nicht-null pointers or references indicate that a memory reference is guaranteed to be non-null.

Etymology and form: the word combines nicht (not) with Null (zero) and the agentive suffix -er to form a noun meaning “non-null one.” The term is not standardized and appears sporadically in German texts; it is often used descriptively rather than as a universally accepted technical term.

See also: Nicht-Nullwert, Nullwert, Nullteiler, Nicht-Nullbarkeit.