Trillion

Definition

Trillion is a numeric value representing a 1 followed by twelve zeros (1,000,000,000,000) in the American short scale and a 1 followed by eighteen zeros (1,000,000,000,000,000,000) in the British long scale, although the long scale definition is now rarely used.

Parts of Speech

• Noun
• Adjective

Pronunciation

American English

• IPA Pronunciation: /ˈtrɪljən/
• Respelling: TRIHL-yuhn (with "TRIHL" rhyming with "bill" and "yuhn" as in "onion" without the initial 'o')

British English

• IPA Pronunciation: /ˈtrɪljən/
• Respelling: TRIHL-yuhn (similar to American English, with "TRIHL" as in "bill" and "yuhn" like in "onion" without the 'o')

In both dialects, "trillion" is pronounced with the primary stress on the first syllable "TRIHL," which rhymes with "bill," followed by "yuhn," similar to the latter part of "onion" without the initial 'o'. The pronunciation of "trillion" is consistent between American and British English.

Etymology

The term "trillion" comes from the Latin prefix "tri-" (meaning "three") and the suffix "-illion". It originally denoted the third power of a million in the British long scale.

Derivatives

• Trillionaire
• Trillionth
• Multitrillion
• Trillions
• Trillion-fold

Synonyms

• 10^12 (in the short scale)
• Thousand billion (in the short scale)
• None (in the long scale)

Antonyms

• None

Usage

• "The company reached a trillion-dollar valuation."
• "There are over a trillion stars in the galaxy."

Related Terms

• Billion
• Quadrillion
• Quintillion
• Sextillion
• Zillion

Detailed Definition

Noun

• Numeric Value (Short Scale): The number equivalent to the product of a thousand and a billion; 1,000,000,000,000 or 10^12.
• Example: The national debt is over 23 trillion dollars.

• Numeric Value (Long Scale, rare usage): The number equivalent to the product of a million and a billion; 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 or 10^18.
• Example: In the older British system, a trillion meant a million billion.

Adjective

• Denoting a Particular Large Quantity: Used for emphasis to denote a vast number or amount of something.
• Example: There are a trillion reasons to be happy about the new policy.