What does vigintillion mean?
Vigintillion is an enormous named number whose value depends on the numerical scale being used. In the short scale, standard in the United States and now common in Britain and most other English-speaking contexts, it equals 10^63, or one followed by 63 zeros. In the long scale historically used in much of Europe and still found in some reference works, it equals 10^120, or one followed by 120 zeros. The word is therefore encountered chiefly in mathematics, science, and hyperbolic or speculative writing, where it conveys unimaginable magnitude rather than an amount that can normally be counted or stored. For example, a fictional universe might contain a vigintillion particles, while a financial report might jokingly cite vigintillion dollars. Although the short-scale and long-scale values differ by an enormous factor, both use the same name and belong to the systematic family of large-number terms ending in -illion. Because its scale designation can vary across sources, careful mathematical or technical writing should state the scale or give the value as a power of ten.
nounA name for an enormously large number: 10^63 (one followed by 63 zeros) in the short scale, or 10^120 (one followed by 120 zeros) in the long scale. Its use is chiefly mathematical, scientific, or deliberately extravagant.
- In the short scale, the number 10^63, or one followed by 63 zeros.
- In the long scale, the number 10^120, or one followed by 120 zeros.
"Even a supercomputer would take longer than the age of the universe to examine a vigintillion data points."
"The science-fiction series describes a machine capable of storing vigintillion fragments of information."
"When adjusted for inflation, the fictional inheritance is said to be worth vigintillion dollars."
The plural is rare. The singular is normally used even when describing a quantity of that magnitude.
"Even two vigintillions would be too many items for the proposed system to examine."
The name preserves a clue to its place in the system: viginti is Latin for twenty, and vigintillion occupies the twentieth rung of the short-scale -illion series.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vigintillion
Vigintillion was formed in English from the Latin viginti, meaning “twenty,” together with the numerical suffix -illion. Latin viginti is related to vigesimal and vicenary and is also ancestral to English twenty. The -illion names form a systematic series for very large powers of ten, with vigintillion assigned different values under the short and long scales.
How vigintillion is actually used
This is a formal mathematical term, but it is also used in hyperbolic or speculative contexts to emphasize unimaginable magnitude. Because British and American reference works may apply the long and short scales respectively, an exact value should be given as a power of ten when precision matters.
Easily confused with vigintillion
A quintillion is 10^18 in the short scale, whereas a vigintillion is 10^63.