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quintillion

[kwin-til-yuh n]
noun, plural quin·til·lions, (as after a numeral) quin·til·lion.
  1. a cardinal number represented in the U.S. by 1 followed by 18 zeros, and in Great Britain by 1 followed by 30 zeros.
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adjective
  1. amounting to one quintillion in number.
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Origin of quintillion

1665–75; < Latin quīnt(us) fifth + -illion (as in million)
Related formsquin·til·lionth, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for quintillion

quintillion

noun plural -lions or -lion
  1. (in Britain, France, and Germany) the number represented as one followed by 30 zeros (10 30)US and Canadian word: nonillion
  2. (in the US and Canada) the number represented as one followed by 18 zeros (10 18)Former Brit word: trillion
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Derived Formsquintillionth, adjective

Word Origin for quintillion

C17: from Latin quintus fifth + -illion, as in million
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for quintillion

n.

1670s, from Latin quintus "the fifth" (see quinque-) + ending from million. Cf. billion. In Great Britain, the fifth power of a million (1 followed by 30 zeroes); in U.S. the sixth power of a thousand (1 followed by 18 zeroes).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper