Centillion

/sɛnˈtɪl.jən/ noun

Definition

In American mathematics, the number 1 followed by 303 zeros; in British mathematics, the number 1 followed by 600 zeros.

Etymology

From 'centi-' (hundred, meaning the 100th power) + '-illion' (a suffix for large numbers). The word was coined in the 16th century as mathematicians created names for increasingly large numbers.

Kelly Says

American and British mathematicians actually disagree on what a centillion is—the American version is a 10^303, while the British 'long scale' makes it 10^600—and this difference comes from two different historical systems of naming huge numbers that never standardized!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.