mega-

variant of megalo- (megalith ); also the initial element in units of measure that are equal to one million of the units denoted by the base word (megahertz ). Symbol: M
Also, especially before a vowel, meg-.

Origin:
combining form representing Greek mégas large, great

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To mega
Collins
World English Dictionary
mega (ˈmɛɡə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
slang extremely good, great, or successful
 
[C20: probably independent use of mega-]

00:10
Mega is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
mega-
 
—combining form
1.  M denoting 106: megawatt
2.  (in computer technology) denoting 220 (1 048 576): megabyte
3.  large or great: megalith
4.  informal great in importance or amount: megastar
 
[from Greek megas huge, powerful]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mega-
prefix, often meaning "large, great," but in precise scientific language "one million" (megaton, megawatt, etc.), from Gk. megas "great, large, mighty" (fem. megale), from PIE *meg- "great" (cf. L. magnus, Goth. mikils, O.E. micel; see mickle). Mega began to be used alone as an adj. 1982.
"High-speed computer stores 2.5 megabits" [headline in "Electronics" magazine, Oct. 1, 1957]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

mega- pref.

  1. Large: megacephaly.

  2. One million (106): megahertz.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
mega-  

  1. A prefix that means:

  2. Large, as in megadose, a large dose.

  3. One million, as in megahertz, one million hertz.

  4. 220 (that is, 1,048,576), which is the power of 2 closest to a million, as in megabyte.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

mega definition

[ˈmɛgə]
  1. mod.
    large; serious. : Some mega beast boogied down to the front of the auditorium and started screaming.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The turbulence created by this mega storm is brutal, the sound, deafening.
As the world's population grows, people are crowding into mega-metropolises,
  where life's risks are horribly concentrated.
There are few prospects for mega-discoveries that could keep up with
  fast-growing world demand.
But what you are asking for is a mega-personal-information-management suite,
  and that would take some central planning.
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriHome Advisor
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
About PRIVACY POLICY Terms API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Suggest a Word Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT