To be more specific on femto and atto, the Danish words from which they are derived are femten (fifteen) and atten (eighteen).
Bill Potts, CMS Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Joseph B. Reid Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 11:59 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:18909] Re: Mega & Giga : Origins Madan asked in USMA 18900; >Anyone has an idea of the origins of the words like >mega, giga, micro, nano, etc. > >I dont think the Romans used these terms in their >days. Quite right, the Romans certainly did not use these terms. Deci, centi, milli, micro nano, and pico come from Latin. Femto and atto come from Danish. Deka, hecto, kilo, mega, giga, tera, and exa come from Greek. I have not been able to find the etymology of yotta, zetta, zepto, and yocto Joseph B.Reid 17 Glebe Road West Toronto M5P 1C8 TEL. 416-486-6071
