sextillion

American  

[seks-til-yuhn] / sɛksˈtɪl yən /

noun

sextillions plural

1. a cardinal number represented in the U.S. by 1 followed by 21 zeros, and in Great Britain by 1 followed by 36 zeros.

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adjective

1. amounting to one sextillion in number.

sextillion British  

/ sɛksˈtɪljən /

noun

1. (in Britain, France, and Germany) the number represented as one followed by 36 zeros (10 ³⁶ )

2. (in the US and Canada) the number represented as one followed by 21 zeros (10 ²¹ )

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sextillionth
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• sextillions
  plural
• sextillion
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sextillion

1680–90; < French < Latin sext ( us ) sixth + -illion, as in million

Example Sentences

Sextillion, seks-til′yun, n. a million raised to the sixth power, expressed by a unit with 36 ciphers attached: 1000 raised to the seventh power.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various