Megahertz
/ˈmɛɡəˌhɜːrts/noun
A unit of frequency equal to one million hertz.
Did you know?Hertz is named after Heinrich Hertz, whose experiments proved electromagnetic waves exist—so every time you say megahertz, you’re invoking a scientist’s name as a unit of invisible motion.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέγας (mégas)
“great, large”
Modern scientific coinage
German/English
Hertz
“a unit of frequency named for Heinrich Hertz”
1880s
German
Hertz
“the surname of physicist Heinrich Hertz”
1960
English
megahertz
“a million cycles per second; later, a unit of frequency”