mega-
Americancombining form
-
M. denoting 10 6
megawatt
-
(in computer technology) denoting 2 20 (1 048 576)
megabyte
-
large or great
megalith
-
informal great in importance or amount
megastar
adjective
-
A prefix that means:
-
Large, as in megadose, a large dose.
-
One million, as in megahertz, one million hertz.
-
2 20 (that is, 1,048,576), which is the power of 2 closest to a million, as in megabyte.
Usage
What does mega- mean? Mega- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “large, great, grand, abnormally large.” It is used in many scientific and medical terms.In science, mega- is specifically used as a prefix in units of measure equaling a factor of “one million.” It’s abbreviation is M. So, a megawatt (MW) is one million watts.Mega- comes from the Greek mégas, meaning “large” or “great.”What are variants of mega-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, mega- becomes meg-, as in megohm.Mega- is a variant of megalo- and megal-, as in megalomania and megalopsia. Learn more about their specific applications in our Words That Use articles.
Etymology
Origin of mega-
Combining form representing Greek mégas large, great
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Beek looked at the yachts around us, mega- and not.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2023
The West is in a drought so huge that everyone started throwing the prefix mega- in front of it.
From Salon • Dec. 29, 2021
In fact, the foundation drew contributions from some who were once Clinton’s most bitter GOP enemies, including Newsmax chief executive Christopher Ruddy and conservative mega- donor Richard Mellon Scaife.
From Washington Post • Jun. 2, 2015
The model in the courtyard is of a never-realized mega- tower by Vladimir Tatlin, with a rotating block for each arm of Soviet power.
From BusinessWeek • Nov. 3, 2011
Four of the men were shouting something through mega- phones.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
