pref.
- One billion (109): gigahertz.
- 1,073,741,824 (230): gigabyte.
[From Greek gigās, giant.]
| Dictionary: giga- |
[From Greek gigās, giant.]
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| Computer Desktop Encyclopedia: giga |
(1) Billion. Abbreviated "G." It often refers to the precise value 1,073,741,824 since computer specifications are usually binary numbers. See GB, binary values and space/time.
(2) A prefix attached to words that means a very large size or quantity. For example, "gigabucks" means a lot of money. Since giga has become more commonly used in terms such as gigahertz and gigabits, it has become an alternate word for "mega" to describe something very large. See mega.
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| Business Dictionary: Giga- |
Metric prefix denoting multiplication by 109 or 1,000,000,000. In measuring the capacity of computer disks and RAM, equivalent to X 230 or 1,073,741,824.
| Hacker Slang: giga- |
| Measures and Units: giga- |
| Veterinary Dictionary: giga- |
Word element. [Gr.] huge; used in naming units of measurement to designate an amount 109 times the size of the unit to which it is joined, e.g. gigameter (109 meters); symbol G.
| Wikipedia: Giga- |
| Look up giga- in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Giga (symbol: G) is a prefix in the SI system of units denoting 109, or 1,000,000,000. The Oxford English Dictionary reports the earliest written use of giga- in this sense to be in the Reports of the IUPAC 14th Conference in 1947: "The following prefixes to abbreviations for the names of units should be used: G giga 109×". Giga comes from the Greek γίγας, meaning 'giant'.
When referring to computing information units, such as gigabit or gigabyte, giga can sometimes mean 1,073,741,824 (230), though such use has been discouraged by various standards organizations.[1][2]. The binary prefix gibi has been suggested for 230, while reserving giga exclusively for 109. See binary prefix.
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In English the initial g of giga is often pronounced /ɡ/ (a hard g as in giggle), but may also be pronounced /dʒ/ (a soft g as in its Greek root's meaning, giant).[3]
This latter pronunciation was formalized within the United States in the 1960s and 1980s with the issue by the US National Bureau of Standards of pronunciation guides for the metric prefixes.[4] A prominent example is found in the pronunciation of gigawatts in the 1985 movie Back to the Future.
According to the American writer Kevin Self, a German committee member of the International Electrotechnical Commission proposed giga as a prefix for 109 in the 1920s, drawing on a verse by the humorous poet Christian Morgenstern that appeared in the third (1908) edition of Galgenlieder (Gallows Songs). This suggests that a hard German [ɡ] was originally intended as the pronunciation. Self was unable to ascertain at what point the alternative pronunciation came into occasional use, but as of 1995 it had died out.[5]
| 1000m | 10n | Prefix | Symbol | Since[1] | Short scale | Long scale | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10008 | 1024 | yotta | Y | 1991 | Septillion | Quadrillion | 1000000000000000000000000 |
| 10007 | 1021 | zetta | Z | 1991 | Sextillion | Trilliard | 1000000000000000000000 |
| 10006 | 1018 | exa | E | 1975 | Quintillion | Trillion | 1000000000000000000 |
| 10005 | 1015 | peta | P | 1975 | Quadrillion | Billiard | 1000000000000000 |
| 10004 | 1012 | tera | T | 1960 | Trillion | Billion | 1000000000000 |
| 10003 | 109 | giga | G | 1960 | Billion | Milliard | 1000000000 |
| 10002 | 106 | mega | M | 1960 | Million | 1 000 000 | |
| 10001 | 103 | kilo | k | 1795 | Thousand | 1000 | |
| 10002⁄3 | 102 | hecto | h | 1795 | Hundred | 100 | |
| 10001⁄3 | 101 | deca | da | 1795 | Ten | 10 | |
| 10000 | 100 | (none) | (none) | NA | One | 1 | |
| 1000−1⁄3 | 10−1 | deci | d | 1795 | Tenth | 0.1 | |
| 1000−2⁄3 | 10−2 | centi | c | 1795 | Hundredth | 0.01 | |
| 1000−1 | 10−3 | milli | m | 1795 | Thousandth | 0.001 | |
| 1000−2 | 10−6 | micro | µ | 1960[2] | Millionth | 0.000001 | |
| 1000−3 | 10−9 | nano | n | 1960 | Billionth | Milliardth | 0.000000001 |
| 1000−4 | 10−12 | pico | p | 1960 | Trillionth | Billionth | 0.000000000001 |
| 1000−5 | 10−15 | femto | f | 1964 | Quadrillionth | Billiardth | 0.000000000000001 |
| 1000−6 | 10−18 | atto | a | 1964 | Quintillionth | Trillionth | 0.000000000000000001 |
| 1000−7 | 10−21 | zepto | z | 1991 | Sextillionth | Trilliardth | 0.000000000000000000001 |
| 1000−8 | 10−24 | yocto | y | 1991 | Septillionth | Quadrillionth | 0.000000000000000000000001 |
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| Translations: Giga- |
Français (French)
pref. - (préf) giga- élément de mot signifiant mégavolte, (Comput) gigaoctet
Deutsch (German)
pref. - Giga...
Ελληνική (Greek)
pref. - γιγα-
Español (Spanish)
pref. - mil millones
Svenska (Swedish)
pref. - giga- (miljard)
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
十亿
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
pref. - 十億
한국어 (Korean)
pref. - 10억의, 무수한
العربيه (Arabic)
(بادئه الكلم- ه) جيجا : مليار
עברית (Hebrew)
pref. - פי מיליארד
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