zero morpheme, zero: Sometimes, the absence of a morpheme in a particular position can be as meaningful as the presence of one. In this situation, linguists often say that the absence of a morpheme constitutes a morpheme in its own right: a zero morpheme. The zero morpheme is often represented with a slashed-O [2] (Ø, ø) or other similar symbols. For example, in Nahuatl the absence of a subject prefix on a verb indicates that the subject is third person, which justifies saying that there is a zero morpheme which means 'third person subject'. Thus, the word "nemiskeh" 'they will walk' can be analyzed "ø-nemi-s-keh" '3rd.person.subject-walk-future-plural'. [Spanish: morfema cero]