mega-
Americancombining form
-
M. denoting 10 6
megawatt
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(in computer technology) denoting 2 20 (1 048 576)
megabyte
-
large or great
megalith
-
informal great in importance or amount
megastar
adjective
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A prefix that means:
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Large, as in megadose, a large dose.
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One million, as in megahertz, one million hertz.
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2 20 (that is, 1,048,576), which is the power of 2 closest to a million, as in megabyte.
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of mega-
Combining form representing Greek mégas large, great
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Vijay remains capable of turning a movie release into a mass civic event. He is perhaps the last of the mega stars of this scale," Shrikrishna said.
From BBC
Large investors who owned between 101 and 1,000 properties made about 3% of investment purchases, and mega investors who owned more than 1,000 properties only bought 2.5% of properties.
From MarketWatch
Large investors who owned between 101 and 1,000 properties made about 3% of investment purchases, and mega investors who owned more than 1,000 properties only bought 2.5% of properties.
From MarketWatch
A second-round exit at the Worlds isn't going to help his case though, and the mega prize money on offer there means he's slipped from seventh to 11th in the world rankings.
From BBC
"I was supposed to fly to London, via Stockholm, with SAS," one passenger at Athens International Airport told Greek broadcaster Mega TV.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
