Dear Madan and All
on 2002/03/20 03.25, M R at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Anyone has an idea of the origins of the words like
> mega, giga, micro, nano, etc.
This is my list.
Origins of the prefix names
Prefix Symbol Origin of prefix
yotta Y yotta is derived from the Greek word okto meaning eight. Eight
is derived from okto.
zetta Z zetta is derived from the Greek word epta meaning seven. The
Olympic heptathlonč has epta as its basis for example.
exa E exa has no known definite origin. Perhaps it is derived from the
first three letters of the Latin phrase ex altus which means up highč.
peta P peta is derived from the ancient Greek word peta which means
widely extended.
tera T tera is derived from the ancient Greek word, teras, which means
monster. English uses the same root in teratogenic, which means monster
forming.
giga G giga is from the ancient Greek word for giant, gigas, which
means a giant. In English we use the same root in gigantic.
mega M mega simply meant big in ancient Greek. In modern Greek mega is
still in use: omega (W) is the big letter oč and omicron (o) is the little
letter oč.
kilo k kilo comes from the French prefix that meant 1000. It came to
French from the ancient Greek, chilioi, which also meant 1000.
hecto h hecto is derived from hekaton, the Greek word for 100.
deka da deka comes from the Greek word for 10.
deci d deci is derived from the Latin word for a tenth, decimus.
centi c centi in based on the Latin word for one hundred centum.
milli m milli is derived from the Latin word, mille, which means 1000.
It is interesting that this is the same root as the mile (mille passus =
1000 paces).
micro ” micro is from the ancient Greek word, mikros, which means
small. mikros is also used as a root for English words such as microscope.
nano n nano is derived from the ancient Greek word for dwarf, nanos.
The English word nanism uses the same root.
pico p pico is derived from the Spanish prefix pico, which means a
small number or tapering to a sharp point.
femto f femto is from the Danish word for fifteen, femten.
atto a atto comes from the Danish word for eighteen, atten.
zepto z zepto is derived from the Greek word epta meaning seven.
yocto y yocto is derived from the Greek word okto meaning eight.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
CAMS - Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
- United States Metric Association
ASM - Accredited Speaking Member
- National Speakers Association of Australia
Member, International Federation for Professional Speakers
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