mega-

American  

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

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mega ¹ British  

/ ˈmɛɡə /

adjective

1. slang extremely good, great, or successful

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mega- ² British  

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

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mega– Scientific  

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.

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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

This explosion in the number of value-conscious yet aspirational consumers, especially in smaller towns, is driving extraordinary bottomline growth in the country's organised fast-fashion industry, led by brands such as Max, Vishaal Mega Mart, Trends and Zudio.

From BBC

Mega Memory: For decades, memory chips were low-margin commodity products.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Although there are many young talented trot singers at the moment, there aren't mega hit songs like Oh My! and Battery of Love in the 2000s," says Jung Minjae.

From BBC

Three US astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hanse, are due to take off in the mega Moon rocket, which will allow them several hours to study the moon's surface up close.

From BBC

"We're seeing it with our ratings. Part of our roadmap is building out bigger mega fights with some star power."

From BBC

Related Words

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