3 ms·
It can be used either way, e.g. the word "century" means 100 years. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centi- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionar
by montalbano 3y ago
It can be used either way, e.g. the word "century" means 100 years.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centi- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centi-
Update: looked into this more and the "centi" part of the SI system comes from the Latin word "centum" which means 100, not 1/100. Definitely seems either usage is acceptable.
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/centimeter https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/centimeter
- Scoundreller 3y agoMaybe, but in Europe, you'll finish off your 33 or 50 centilitre beer in a sitting and possibly a few more.
- Someone 3y agoYes, Latin centum means 100; hence century, and the prefix centi was invented during the French Revolution, meaning 1/100 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centi- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centi-). For hecto-, they took inspiration from the free ἑκατόν (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecto- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecto-) (They did the same for 1000 and 1/1000, deriving milli from Latin millum and kilo from Greek χίλιοι, but used Latin for both deca- and deci-, and used Greek for both giga- and micro. So far for consistency) I don’t see how it follows that either usage is acceptable.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- WrongAssumption 3y agoThat’s like saying risky and riskless can be used interchangeably because the both come from the word risk. Edit: I don’t know why I even reached for an analogy, it’s exactly like saying hundred and hundredth are interchangeable.
- montalbano 3y agoNo it's like saying biannual can mean twice a year or once every two years. Dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. Language evolves.