thousand

thou·sand

noun \ˈthau̇-z^ən(d)\

plural thousands or thousand

Definition of THOUSAND

1

: a number equal to 10 times 100 — see number table

2

: a very large number <thousands of ants>

— thousand adjective

— thou·sand·fold \-z^ən(d)-ˌfōld\ adjective or adverb

— thou·sandth \-z^ən(t)th\ adjective or noun

Origin of THOUSAND

Middle English, from Old English thūsend; akin to Old High German dūsunt thousand, Lithuanian tūkstantis, and probably to Sanskrit tavas strong, Latin tumēre to swell — more at thumb

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Number-Related Terms

jubilee, myriad, quarantine, score, twain