sextillion

English dictionary entry

Meanings

num
  1. A trillion billion: 1 followed by 21 zeros, 10²¹.
  2. A million quintillion: 1 followed by 36 zeros, 10³⁶.

Pronunciation

/sɛksˈtɪljən/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Denendaden-sextillion.wav

Word forms

sextillion sextillions

Etymology

From Classical Latin sextus (“sixth”) + -illion; originally the sixth power of a million, 10³⁶. Compare slightly earlier quintillion, Middle French sixlion (1484) and French sextillion (1765). First attested in 1689 in John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (see the quotation).

Synonyms

1036 1021

Related words

Previous: quintillion. Next: septillion. zetta-
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