Trillion

/ˈtrɪljən/ noun

Definition

The number 1,000,000,000,000 (a thousand billion).

Etymology

From French *trillion*, modeled on *million* and *billion*, using the Latin prefix *tri-* “three” to indicate a higher power of a thousand. Its exact size once varied between countries but is now usually fixed at 10¹² in English.

Kelly Says

A trillion is so large that if you counted one number per second without stopping, it would take over 31,000 years to reach it. When governments or tech companies talk in trillions, they’re operating on a timescale the human brain can barely picture.

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