decies centena milia
The English word 'million' is expressed in Latin as decies centena milia. If unsure, use decies centena milia. Wiktionary also lists milliō.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
Ways to say it
| Latin | Note |
|---|---|
| decies centena milia | |
| milliō | masculine |
Classical Latin does not have a single, specific word for 'million'. To express this number, you must use the multiplicative phrase decies centena milia.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase decies centena milia literally translates to 'ten times a hundred thousand'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the phrase is constructed from milia (the plural of mille), it is used as a neuter plural noun phrase.
Did you know?
- In Latin poetry, authors often avoided precise large numbers like decies centena milia in favor of hyperbolic terms like innumerabilis to express a vast amount.
- To express 'billions' in classical Latin, writers had to continue stacking multiples, such as 'a thousand millions', as no single word existed for it.
- The word milliō is a later addition to the language and was not used in the time of Cicero or Caesar.
Examples in context
- Decies centena milia hominum in bello perierunt.One million people died in the war.This sentence shows how to use decies centena milia to describe a number of people.Tatoeba #7030957 by alexmarcelo, translation #1959346 by swingman57
- Duōs mīllionesTwo million
- Decies centena milia sestertium in urbe sunt.There are ten hundred thousand sesterces in the city.
Example conversation
Gaius and Claudia are discussing the cost of a large estate.
- GaiusQuanti constat haec villa, Claudia?How much does this villa cost, Claudia?
- ClaudiaConstat decies centena milia denariorum.It costs a million denarii.
- GaiusId est pretium nimis magnum!That is too high a price!
- ClaudiaIta est, sed villa pulchra est.It is true, but the villa is beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “million” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
