billion
ˈbɪljən
noun
Origin
French
bi- + million — a million times a million (originally)
Overview
Meaning Now
- A cardinal number represented in the short scale (used in the US, UK, and modern international finance) as 1,000,000,000 or 10^9.
- A cardinal number represented in the long scale (formerly used in the UK and common in many European countries) as 1,000,000,000,000 or 10^12.
Literal older meaning
Two millions (bi-million)
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
byllion
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The term was originally created to denote the second power of a million (10^12). The shift to the current short scale definition of 10^9 occurred largely due to American usage, which the British government officially adopted in 1974.
Evolution
- 15th century French
bilyon
“a million squared (10^12)”
Coined by French mathematicians.
- 16th century English
byllion
“a million millions”
Adopted from French terminology.
- 17th-19th century
billion
“a million millions”
Standardized in long scale usage.
- 20th century
billion
“one thousand million”
Shift to short scale adoption in the US and eventually the UK.
Connections
Word parts
bi-
prefix
two
-illion
suffix
augmentative suffix derived from million
Related words
Explore next
Related to billion
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.