Duodecillion

/ˌduːoʊdɛˈsɪljən/ noun

Definition

In the short scale (used in English), the number 10 to the 39th power, or 1 followed by 39 zeros.

Etymology

From Latin 'duodecim' (twelve) + '-illion' (suffix for large numbers). The '-illion' suffix derives from Italian 'millione' and creates exponentially larger numbers—each step in the pattern increases by a factor of 1,000.

Kelly Says

Duodecillion is so absurdly large that it has almost no real-world use—it's bigger than the number of atoms in millions of galaxies! Yet mathematicians and computer scientists invented it anyway because the number system is so elegant and logical; once you understand the pattern, you can theoretically count forever using the same formula.

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