Where does “billions” come from?
Billions derives from English billion, which combines the prefix bi- meaning "two" with the suffix -llion, ultimately tracing through English black.
billions (English): plural of billion
Definitions
- plural of billion
Ancestry of “billions”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | billion | cardinal... |
| 2 | French | billion | 10; a long scale billion; a short scale trillion |
| 3 | French | -illion | illion |
| 4 | French | million | million, 10 |
| 5 | Middle French | million | million, 10 |
| 6 | Old French | millon | — |
| 7 | Italian | milione | million |
| 8 | Italian | mille | thousand |
| 9 | Latin | Mīlle | thousand; 1000 |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | smīɣeslī | thousand |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | smih₂ǵʰéslih₂ | — |