Definition

1. Noun:
   • A billion, specifically one thousand million (1,000,000,000): The cardinal number represented by 1 followed by 9 zeros. This term is used primarily in British English and other varieties of English influenced by the long scale numbering system.

Usage

• The term "milliard" is used to denote the number 1,000,000,000. It is a precise numerical term, most commonly found in historical, financial, or formal British contexts. In modern international and American English, the word "billion" (meaning one thousand million) has largely superseded it.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The project was estimated to cost over two milliard pounds. (The project was estimated to cost over two thousand million pounds.)
  • In many European countries, a "milliard" is the standard term for 10^9. (In many European countries, a "milliard" is the standard term for 10^9.)

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Formal Context: "Milliard" is often encountered in older British texts, official documents, or in contexts discussing international finance where the long scale system is referenced.
  • The nineteenth-century national debt was measured in milliards of francs.

Variants and Related Words

• Billion (n): In modern American English and increasingly in global English, this is the equivalent term for 1,000,000,000. In the traditional long scale system (used in some European languages), a "billion" can mean 1,000,000,000,000 (a million millions).
• Milli- (prefix): A prefix meaning one-thousandth (e.g., millimetre). Note: This is related in form but not in meaning to "milliard," which derives from the French word for "thousand."

Synonyms

• One thousand million: The descriptive phrase for the number.
• 10^9: The scientific notation.
• A billion (in modern American and international usage): The most common contemporary synonym.

Notes on Meaning

• The meaning of "milliard" is fixed as the number 1,000,000,000. Its primary distinction lies in its use within different numbering scales:
  • Long Scale: Used traditionally in British English and many European languages. In this system, a milliard equals a thousand million (10^9), and a billion equals a million million (10^12).
  • Short Scale: Used in American English and now standard in most English-speaking contexts. In this system, a billion equals a thousand million (10^9), making it directly equivalent to a "milliard." The term "milliard" is rarely used in short-scale countries.

Noun

1. a billion
   • in England they call one thousand million a milliard