undecillion

[ uhn-di-sil-yuhn ]

noun

, plural un·de·cil·lions, (as after a numeral) un·de·cil·lion.

1. a cardinal number represented in the U.S. by 1 followed by 36 zeros, and in Great Britain by 1 followed by 66 zeros.

adjective

1. amounting to one undecillion in number.

Other Words From

• unde·cillionth adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of undecillion¹

1930–35; < Latin undec ( im ) eleven ( ūn ( us ) one + -decim, combining form of decem ten ) + -illion, as in million

Example Sentences

A Russian court has fined Google two undecillion roubles - a two followed by 36 zeroes - for restricting Russian state media channels on YouTube.

From BBC

For a sense of scale, consider that a billion means nine zeroes, while an undecillion  means 38 zeroes.

From Forbes

More About Undecillion

What does undecillion mean? 

In the United States, undecillion is the name of the number 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or 10³⁶. 

In Great Britain, an undecillion is the name of a number represented by 1 followed by 66 zeroes, or 10⁶⁶.

Because 1 undecillion is such a large number, you won’t often see it used. One of the most notable uses of undecillion is in the study of atoms. The ratio of electric force to gravitational force between two protons is roughly equal to one undecillion. Another notable use is in computing and internet infrastructure discussions. Under internet protocol version 6 (IPv6), the maximum number of IP addresses the global protocol can contain is around 340 undecillion.

You’re more likely to see undecillion used figuratively to mean a large unknown amount, as in There are, like, 40 undecillion flavor choices, and I can’t decide!

Example: This code cipher has over 1 undecillion possible combinations, making it nearly impossible to decode.

Where does undecillion come from?

The first records of the term undecillion are from around the 1930s. It comes from the Latin ūn, meaning “one,” -decem, meaning “10,” and -illion, as in “million.” 

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to undecillion?

• undecillionth (adjective, noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with undecillion? 

• decillion
• decimal
• billion
• million
• trillion

What are some words that often get used in discussing undecillion?

• exponential
• large
• magnitude
• power

How is undecillion used in real life?

Undecillion is an extremely large number that is normally only used in specific scientific or mathematical contexts. Because of its size, undecillion is sometimes used figuratively.

Now that we have 280 characters, let's see if we can type out the total # of #IPv6 addresses: 340 undecillion, 282 decillion, 366 nonillion, 920 octillion, 938 septillion, 463 sextillion, 463 quintillion, 374 quadrillion, 607 trillion, 431 billion, 768 million, 211 thousand & 456

— ARIN (@TeamARIN) November 8, 2017

TFW you get your back-of-napkin math wrong, and realize you said 1000¹² when you meant 12¹⁰⁰⁰.
"Undecillion" is cool, but not big enough.

— Howard Tayler (@howardtayler) June 1, 2017

There are more IPv6 addresses than stars in our galaxy. 340 undecillion (trillion, trillion, trillion) vs. 100 billion #ICANN #IETF

— rodbeckstrom (@RodBeckstrom) February 5, 2011

 

Try using undecillion!

True or False?

In the United States, an undecillion is the same as 10³⁶, or 1 with 36 zeros after it.