octodecillion

From Latin octodec(im) (“eighteen”) +‎ -illion;^[1] compare tredecillion, quattuordecillion, etc. By surface analysis, octo- +‎ decillion.

• IPA^(key): /ˌɒktoʊdəˈsɪl.i.ən/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪljən

octodecillion (plural octodecillions)

1. (US, modern British and Australian, short scale, rare) 10⁵⁷.
   • 1962, David Bergamini, The Universe, Time-Life Books, Google Books considers page number to be top-secret

     The reason is that the rays created in the core are softened on their outward journey by being handled by the octodecillion-odd atoms of gas outside the core that are part of the sun but play no part in the central fusions.

   • 2004, Alan Sondheim, The Wayward, →ISBN, page 138:

     How many Stars Shine on Tiny Jennifer’s Hair? ... Two million, three hundred and forty nine thousand, eight hundred seventy five vigintillion, seven hundred fifty four novemdecillion, five hundred forty three octodecillion, four hundred fifty seven septendecillion...

   • 2004, Jay Carty, Darrell Waltrip (co-author), Darrell Waltrip One-On-One, The Faith That Took Him to the Finish Line, Gospel Light Publishing, →ISBN, “Day 23”, unpaged

     the odds on the development of a polypeptide, which is a protein building block, is 6 times 10 to the 57th power, or 600 octodecillion, to 1.

   • 2018 May 1, Wayne Harris-Wyrick, “What will universe’s final moment look like?”, in The Oklahoman, volume 127, number 121, Oklahoma City, Okla.: Oklahoma Publishing Co., →OCLC, page 3D, column 3:

     No need to sit and worry about it, though. Although it could occur tomorrow, the odds are that the universe has a lifetime of somewhere between 10 octodecillion years (one with 58 zeros after it) and 10 quinquadragintillion years (one with 139 zeros after it).

2. (dated British and Australian, long scale, rare) 10¹⁰⁸.

• (short and long scale) Previous: septendecillion. Next: novemdecillion.