tera-

American  

1. a combining form used in the names of units of measure equal to one trillion of a given base unit.

   terahertz.

2. Computers. a combining form of like function with the value 2 40 (= 1,099,511,627,766).

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tera- British  

prefix

1. denoting 10 ¹²

   terameter

2. Also: tebi-.  denoting 2 ⁴⁰

   terabyte

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tera– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means:

2. One trillion (10 ¹²), as in terahertz, one trillion hertz.

3. 2 ⁴⁰ (that is, 1,099,511,627,776), which is the power of two closest to a trillion, as in terabyte.

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Usage

What does tera- mean? Tera- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “one trillion.” It is often used in terms of measurement. In terms from computer science, such as terabyte, tera- means 2⁴⁰—which equals, well, a huge number.Tera- comes from the Greek téras, meaning “monster.” Yes, “monster.” Discover more at our entry for terato-.What are variants of tera-?A synonym for tera-, as it is used in computer science to mean 2⁴⁰, is tebi-. Learn more about this combining form at our entry for tebi-.

Etymology

Origin of tera-

< Greek téras monster. See terato-

Example Sentences

Or thy childrens father in Lawe, shall spoile and Gods pro- uidence. spende with a merie harte, that whiche thou haste long tera- uailed for.

From A booke called the Foundacion of Rhetorike because all other partes of Rhetorike are grounded thereupon, euery parte sette forthe in an Oracion vpon questions, verie profitable to bee knowen and redde by Rainolde, Richard

Students don't really get tenure, of course, the way professors do, but a tenth-year graduate student has probably been around the university longer than any untenured professor. :tera-: /te'r*/ /pref./

From The Jargon File, Version 4.0.0, 24 Jul 1996 by Raymond, Eric S.

Node:tera-, Next:teraflop club, Previous:tenured graduate student, Up:= T = tera- /te'r*/ pref.

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.