quintillion
quintillion Lexical Profile
quintillion Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The number equivalent to the product of a million and a trillion; 1 followed by 18 zeros (10^18) in the short scale.
"Scientists estimate that there are roughly ten quintillion individual insects alive on Earth at any given moment."
An indeterminately immense number or quantity (often used hyperbolically in the plural).
"It felt as though I had a quintillion things to finish before leaving for vacation."
British In the traditional long scale (now largely dated in English), the fifth power of a million; 1 followed by 30 zeros (10^30).
"In older British mathematical texts, a quintillion represented a million raised to the fifth power."
• adjective
Amounting to a quintillion in number; extremely numerous.
"The supercomputer can process several quintillion calculations per second."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern international and American English (the short scale), a quintillion is 10 to the 18th power (1 followed by 18 zeros), whereas in older British and continental European usage (the long scale), it historically denoted 10 to the 30th power.
• Rhymes for quintillion
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in French in the late 15th century by mathematician Nicolas Chuquet, formed from Latin quintus ('fifth') combined with the ending of million, indicating the fifth power of a million in the original long-scale system.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.