billion etymology

Etymology of "billion":

  • French: "billion"
  • Italian: "bilione"
  • Latin: "bilio"

Meaning and Origin:

The word "billion" originally meant "one million million" (10^12) in French. It was first used in the 16th century.

Confusion with the English "billion":

In the 17th century, some English writers adopted the French word "billion" to denote 10^12. However, in the 19th century, the United States adopted the British long scale system, which defined "billion" as one thousand million (10^9).

This led to confusion between the French and English usages. To avoid ambiguity, some English-speaking countries now use the term "billion" to denote 10^12 and "milliard" to denote 10^9. However, in the United States, "billion" is still used to refer to 10^9.

In summary:

  • French: Billion means 10^12.
  • English: In the United States, billion means 10^9. In other English-speaking countries, it can mean 10^12 or 10^9, depending on the context.

billion relate terms

  • milliard

    Etymology The word milliard comes from the French word milliard which itself is der

  • million

    Etymology Middle English milioun from Anglo Norman miliun from Old French million f

  • billion

    Etymology of billion French billion Italian bilione Latin bilio Meaning an

  • million

    Etymology Middle English milioun from Anglo Norman miliun from Old French million f

  • quadrillion

    Etymology Quadrillion is a word derived from the following Latin and Greek roots quad

  • zillion

    Etymology From Middle English zillion from French zillion from Arabic ṣifr cipher

  • primordial

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  • ballpark

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  • assonance

    Etymology Assonance is derived from the Latin word assonantia which itself comes from

  • thousand

    Etymology The word thousand comes from the Old English word þūsend which is cogna

  • stymie

    Etymology The word stymie comes from the Middle English term stymye which means to