Giga-

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈɡɪɡə/, /ˈɡaɪɡə/
• US IPA: /ˈɡɪɡə/, /ˈdʒɪɡə/

Origin

From Ancient Greek γίγας (gigas, "giant"); cognate to giant.

Prefix

1. In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10

1. (computing) Multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 2

Usage notes

In computing, meaning is ambiguous between 10

9 = 1,000,000,000 and 2

30 = 1,073,741,824. For precision, gibi- specifically means the binary 2

30

see binary prefix for discussion.

Synonyms

• (2³⁰) gibi-

Antonyms

• nano-

Derived terms

• gibi-
• gigabyte
• gigaflop
• gigahertz
• gigajoule
• gigawatt