The number 100; ten times ten.
From Old English “hundred,” related to Old Norse “hundrað” and Old High German “hundert.” In some early Germanic systems it did not always mean exactly 100 but a large, fixed group.
“Hundred” feels like a natural unit for “a lot,” which is why we say things like “I’ve told you a hundred times” even when we haven’t. It sits at the point where counting turns into estimating.
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