mega-
Americanadjective
combining 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
-
A prefix that means:
-
Large, as in megadose, a large dose.
-
One million, as in megahertz, one million hertz.
-
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.
The strategists put it this way: the era of “mega cap dominance” may be ending.
From Barron's
It’s all a welcome respite from the looming gloom of MLB labor negotiations, in which owners, aggravated by mega spenders like the Dodgers, are expected to press hard for a salary cap.
There was the Era of the Titans in the 1960s, when 10 companies, led by AT&T, General Motors, and Exxon Mobil, then called Standard Oil, accounted for nearly 30% of the market; the Nifty Fifty in the late 1960s and early 1970s; and the dot-com era, when mega tech stocks Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Intel, and Dell Technologies made up 27% of the market.
From Barron's
There was the Era of the Titans in the 1960s, when 10 companies, led by AT&T, General Motors, and Exxon Mobil, then called Standard Oil, accounted for nearly 30% of the market; the Nifty Fifty in the late 1960s and early 1970s; and the dot-com era, when mega tech stocks Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Intel, and Dell Technologies made up 27% of the market.
From Barron's
‘Wow. That’s pretty mega. How do you know?’
From Literature
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.
