-illion

English

Etymology

Back-formation from million, then used in billion, trillion, quadrillion, each from French, ultimately from Italian mille (“thousand”) and the augmentative suffix -one. -illion was segmented from million as if mi- was a prefix, and -illion the stem.

Suffix

-illion

1. Combined with Latin prefixes for names of integers in order to form names of powers of a million or of a thousand greater than 1,000,000. Thus we have the names billion, trillion, etc.
2. Added to various nonsense syllables to indicate an arbitrarily very large number.

Usage notes

• The words formed by combining the Latin prefix for the name of an integer $n$ ($n>1$) with this suffix may mean $1,000,000^{n}$ or $1000^{n+1}$ depending on national practices. Hence billion can mean “million million” or “thousand million”. See the usage notes at Wiktionary’s appendix on numbers for more information.

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -illion

Related terms

• -illiard

Translations

suffix forming names of powers of a million or of a thousand greater than 1,000,000

• Esperanto: -iliono (eo)
• French: -illion (fr)

See also

• Indefinite and fictitious numbers on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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French

Etymology

Back-formation from million, ultimately from Italian mille (“thousand”) and the augmentative suffix -one. -illion was segmented from million as if mi- was a prefix, and -illion the stem.

Suffix

-illion m (plural -illions)

1. -illion

Derived terms

French terms suffixed with -illion

Related terms

• -illiard