SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

gigawatt

play

noun giga·watt \ˈji-gə-ˌwät, ˈgi-\

Definition of gigawatt

: a unit of power equal to one billion watts

Circa 1962

First Known Use of gigawatt

circa 1962

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up gigawatt? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

nudnik

play

a person who is a bore or nuisance

Words at Play

alt-592333459542f

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

boulton-and-park

Notes on 'Campy'

Plus: how to use n'importe in a sentence

What is 'Sin'?

It's striking how little this word has changed

Ah, 'Romance': A Word Borne to English on the Breastplates of Chivalry

The true and lovesome history of 'romance'

Ask the Editors

Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

peter-bruegel-tower-of-babel-painting

Where in the World? A Quiz

Do you know what languages these words come from?

Take the quiz

wide-eyed-dog-smelling-rose

What's that Smell?! Quiz

Words for odors and such...

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game