Million
/ˈmɪl.jən/noun
The number 1,000,000.
Did you know?The word entered English through French and Italian from Medieval Latin, where it was formed with the augmentative suffix -ion to mean a “big thousand,” long before it became the everyday symbol of vast wealth and abundance.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Latin
Latin
mīliōne
“a thousand thousand; a large thousand”
14th Century
Italian
milione
“a great thousand, specifically 1,000,000”
14th Century
Old French
milion
“a million”
14th Century
Middle English
million
“a million”
Modern English
English
million
“the number 1,000,000”
Explore more surprising origins