entry
quadrillion
/kwəˈdrɪljən/The number one followed by fifteen zeros
From Latin, transmitted through French quadri (four) + French illion (Large-number naming suffix).
from French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French quadrillion (16c.)
+1 more sourceA quadrillion begins with a very ordinary idea: four. The French prefix quadri- was attached to the number-building suffix -illion, producing quadrillion in the sixteenth century; English was using it by the 1670s. Here is the numerical trap: in modern American usage, a quadrillion is 10¹⁵, while traditional British long-scale usage made it 10²⁴—the fourth power of a million. That means an American quadrillion has fifteen zeros, whereas the older British version has twenty-four: same word, nine extra zeros hiding behind the Atlantic. The prefix is the same family found in quadruped and quadrilateral, so whenever you see quadrillion, picture four marching into a crowd of illions and making the crowd unimaginably large.
The Story
A quadrillion begins with a very ordinary idea: four. The French prefix quadri- was attached to the number-building suffix -illion, producing quadrillion in the sixteenth century; English was using it by the 1670s. Here is the numerical trap: in modern American usage, a quadrillion is 10¹⁵, while traditional British long-scale usage made it 10²⁴—the fourth power of a million. That means an American quadrillion has fifteen zeros, whereas the older British version has twenty-four: same word, nine extra zeros hiding behind the Atlantic. The prefix is the same family found in quadruped and quadrilateral, so whenever you see quadrillion, picture four marching into a crowd of illions and making the crowd unimaginably large.
Kin & Kindred
From 'quadri'·four
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'illion'·Large-number naming suffix
Derived Terms
English words from this root