billion

See also: Billion

English

Etymology

From French billion, from bi- (“two”) +‎ -illion.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈbɪljən/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪljən
  • Hyphenation: bil‧lion

Noun

billion (plural billions)

cardinal number
109 Previous: million
Next: trillion
cardinal number
1012 Previous: milliard
Next: billiard
  1. (US, modern British & Australian, short scale) a thousand million: 1 followed by nine zeros, 109; a milliard
    • 2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist‎, volume 407, number 8837, page 74:
      In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result.
  2. (dated, British & Australian, long scale) A million million: a 1 followed by twelve zeros; 1012
  3. (colloquial, in the plural, hyperbolic) A very large number.
    There were billions of people at the concert.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations
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Translations to be checked

See also

Danish

Noun

billion

  1. 1012

Declension
Declension of billion
common
gender		 Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative billion billionen billioner billionerne
genitive billions billionens billioners billionernes

French

Etymology

From bi- (“two”) +‎ -illion; i.e., a million million.

Coined by Jehan Adam in 1475 as by-million.[1] [2] [3] Rendered as byllion by Nicolas Chuquet in 1484, in his article “Triparty en la science des nombres”.[4] [5]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /bi.ljɔ̃/

Numeral

billion

  1. 1012; a long scale billion; a short scale trillion.

Usage notes

Descendants

References
  1. Bibliothèque St Geneviève, Paris, MS Français 3143 - original French manuscript by Jehan Adam
  2. Jehan Adam, Traicté en arismetique pour la practique par gectouers… Parchemin. XVe siècle (1475).
  3. Lynn Thorndike, “The Arithmetic of Jehan Adam, A.D. 1475,” Science and Thought in the Fifteenth Century
  4. Chuquet, Nicolas (1484) Triparty en la science des nombres (ISSN 9012-9458), Bologna (Italy): Aristide Marre, published 1880
       Idem (accessed 2008-03-01), “Nicolas Chuquet's manuscript”, in (Please provide the title of the work)‎, Published by www.miakinen.net
  5. Idem (accessed 2008-03-01), “Nicolas Chuquet's chapter”, in (Please provide the title of the work)‎, Transcription by Michael Florencetime

Further reading

Middle French

Noun

billion m (plural billions)

  1. billion, a million-million, 1012
    • 1520, Étienne de La Roche, L'arismethique novellement composee, page 6
      ung billion vault mille milliers de millions
      a billion is equivalent to a thousand thousands of millions
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