Billion
Billion
Billion (/bɪljən/) is a term often used in the medical field to denote a large quantity, particularly in the context of cell counts, bacteria, or viruses.
Etymology
The term "billion" originates from the French word "billion," which was first used in the 15th century. It was later adopted into English in the late 17th century. In the original French, "billion" meant "a million of a million," or a trillion in modern American English. However, in contemporary usage, both in French and English, "billion" typically refers to a thousand million (1,000,000,000).
Usage in Medicine
In medicine, "billion" is often used to quantify the number of cells, bacteria, or viruses present in a given sample or within the human body. For example, the human body is estimated to contain approximately 30 to 40 billion white blood cells and 38 trillion bacteria.
Related Terms
- Million: A term used to denote a quantity of one thousand thousand (1,000,000).
- Trillion: A term used to denote a quantity of one thousand billion (1,000,000,000,000).
- Quadrillion: A term used to denote a quantity of one thousand trillion (1,000,000,000,000,000).
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Billion
- Wikipedia's article - Billion
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