mega-

especially before a vowel, meg-.

1. variant of megalo- (megalith ); also the initial element in units of measure that are equal to one million of the units denoted by the base word (megahertz ). M

mega-

¹

combining form

1. M. denoting 10 ⁶

   megawatt

2. (in computer technology) denoting 2 ²⁰ (1 048 576)

   megabyte

3. large or great

   megalith

4. informal,  great in importance or amount

   megastar

mega

²

/ ˈmɛɡə /

adjective

1. slang,  extremely good, great, or successful

mega–

1. A prefix that means:

2. Large, as in megadose, a large dose.

3. One million, as in megahertz, one million hertz.

4. 2 ²⁰ (that is, 1,048,576), which is the power of 2 closest to a million, as in megabyte.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mega–¹

Combining form representing Greek mégas large, great

Word History and Origins

Origin of mega–¹

from Greek megas huge, powerful

Origin of mega–²

C20: probably independent use of _mega-

Example Sentences

The winning ticket matches both 5 numbers and the one mega number.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Two tickets matched the five regular numbers without the mega number and they are each worth $20,938.

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Four matches plus the mega number are worth $1.610.

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The Long Beach, Calif.-based company is also preparing the first test launch of its new 141-foot reusable Neutron rocket, which is designed for “mega constellation” deployments, deep space missions, and human spaceflight.

Read more on MarketWatch

Manchester was a stop on a media tour to hype the mega bout.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• commanding 
• grand 
• grandiose 
• imperial 
• magnificent 
• massive 
• monumental 
• noble 
• ominous 
• stately 
• striking 
• towering 

When To Use

What does mega- mean?

Mega- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “large, great, grand, abnormally large.” It is used in many scientific and medical terms.In science, mega- is specifically used as a prefix in units of measure equaling a factor of “one million.” It’s abbreviation is M. So, a megawatt (MW) is one million watts.Mega- comes from the Greek mégas, meaning “large” or “great.”What are variants of mega-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, mega- becomes meg-, as in megohm.Mega- is a variant of megalo- and megal-, as in megalomania and megalopsia. Learn more about their specific applications in our Words That Use articles.