The following word looks like a simple past-tense form of 残る (nokoru: to remain, be left), but there’s more at work:
残った (nokotta: not yet)
This is an idiomatic expression, which means that you need to stop your brain from shrieking out questions about derivations and etymology, and you just have to accept that 残った means “not yet”! However, if you can’t do that, there’s some good news. This word is so rare that a knowledgeable native speaker tells me he’s never heard of it.
Meanwhile, given that ず negates verbs, the next word would seem to be a negative form of 残る:
残らず (nokorazu: all, entirely, without exception)
That is, this word should translate as “not remaining,” or “none.” Instead, it means “all”! Huh?
中川は有り金残らず奪われた。
Nakagawa wa arigane nokorazu ubawareta.
Nakagawa was robbed of all his money.中川 (Nakagawa: family name)
middle + river
有り金 (arigane: money on hand)
to have + money
奪 (uba(u): to rob)The verb appears in the passive, past-tense form.
OK, one final attempt at logic. If “nothing remaining” is “all,” then what is “few remaining”?
残り少ない (nokori sukunai: scarce; few remaining)
remaining + few
Aha, this one makes sense!
