entry
nonillion
/noʊˈnɪljən/The number one followed by thirty zeros
From French non (nine) + French illion (suffix forming names of very large numbers).
from French nonillion. By surface analysis, non- (“nine”) + -illion.
from French nonillion. By surface analysis, non- (“nine”) + -illion.
from French nonillion. By surface analysis, non- (“nine”) + -illion.
from French nonillion. By surface analysis, non- (“nine”) + -illion.
Word Ancestry
from French nonillion. By surface analysis, non- (“nine”) + -illion.
from French nonillion. By surface analysis, non- (“nine”) + -illion.
from French nonillion. By surface analysis, non- (“nine”) + -illion.
from French nonillion. By surface analysis, non- (“nine”) + -illion.
A nonillion is the kind of number that makes a million look like pocket change: write a 1, then add thirty zeros. Its name comes through French, where non-—“nine” in this numerical naming pattern—meets the suffix -illion, the same family that gives us million, billion, and trillion. Here is the catch: giant-number names have never behaved perfectly internationally; in the traditional long scale, a nonillion can mean 10⁵⁴, while in modern US usage it usually means 10³⁰. That difference is not a rounding error but a gulf of twenty-four zeros, enough to turn a calculation into a diplomatic incident. The safest memory hook is simple: nonillion is the “nine-step” member of the -illion parade—and in American English, its parade ends with thirty zeros.
The Story
A nonillion is the kind of number that makes a million look like pocket change: write a 1, then add thirty zeros. Its name comes through French, where non-—“nine” in this numerical naming pattern—meets the suffix -illion, the same family that gives us million, billion, and trillion. Here is the catch: giant-number names have never behaved perfectly internationally; in the traditional long scale, a nonillion can mean 10⁵⁴, while in modern US usage it usually means 10³⁰. That difference is not a rounding error but a gulf of twenty-four zeros, enough to turn a calculation into a diplomatic incident. The safest memory hook is simple: nonillion is the “nine-step” member of the -illion parade—and in American English, its parade ends with thirty zeros.
Kin & Kindred
From 'non'·nine, in the large-number naming pattern
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'illion'·suffix forming names of very large numbers
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary