giga-

American  

1. a combining form meaning “billion,” used in the formation of compound words.

   gigabyte.

---

giga- British  

/ ˈɡaɪɡə, ˈɡɪɡə /

combining form

1.  G.  denoting 10 ⁹

   gigavolt

2. (in computer technology) denoting 2 ³⁰

   gigabyte

---

giga– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means:

2. One billion (10 ⁹), as in gigahertz, one billion hertz.

3. 2 ³⁰ (that is, 1,073,741,824), which is the power of 2 closest to a billion, as in gigabyte.

---

Etymology

Origin of giga-

From the Greek word gígās giant

Example Sentences

How one pronounces this depends on whether one speaks giga- with a hard or soft `g'.

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.

Node:giga-, Next:GIGO, Previous:gig, Up:= G = giga- /ji'ga/ or /gi'ga/ pref.

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.