nanosecond

[ nan-uh-sek-uhnd, ney-nuh- ]

noun

1. one billionth of a second. : ns, nsec

nanosecond

/ ˈnænəʊˌsɛkənd /

noun

1. one thousand-millionth of a second ns

nanosecond

/ năn′ə-sĕk′ənd /

1. One billionth (10 ^-9) of a second.

nanosecond

1. A billionth of a second.

Notes

The term is often used to refer to a very short time: “He missed having an accident by nanoseconds.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of nanosecond¹

First recorded in 1955–60; nano- + second ²

Example Sentences

“He wants to put a crowbar in the spokes of our wheels within a nanosecond,” Newsom said.

From Los Angeles Times

I am well aware that most people won’t be giving this contest even a nanosecond’s attention, but three months into this race, the contours of its final stages are beginning to take shape.

From BBC

As its name suggests, the microcavity is an extremely tiny space where light can be trapped in both space and time -- at least for a few nanoseconds -- where it can interact with a molecule.

From Science Daily

By changing the ratios of these oxides, the team achieved time constants ranging from 159 to 278 nanoseconds, or trillionths of a second.

From Science Daily

A different type of edge sealing using nanosecond lasers and a glass frit filler was tried in the past, but the welds proved too brittle for use in outdoor module designs.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• blink of an eye
• millisecond