Standard Lemma guide

zepto-

prefix · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • zĕp′tō-
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈzɛp.təʊ̯-/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈzɛp.toʊ̯-/

1

prefix

Meaning 1

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10−21 (short scale sextillionth or long scale trilliardth).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: morpheme

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: zetta-

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἑπτᾰ́ (heptắ, “seven”), for the seventh order of 10−3. The final o conforms to the finals vowel of the SI series from micro- downwards; the letter z was added, as a start in a series of terms running backwards through the alphabet.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: септо- (septo-) — 10−21
  • Chinese Mandarin: 仄普托 (zèpǔtuō) — 10−21
  • Dutch: zepto- — 10−21
  • Finnish: tsepto- — 10−21
  • Finnish: zepto- — 10−21
  • French: zepto- — 10−21
  • Galician: zepto- — 10−21
  • German: zepto- — 10−21
  • Icelandic: septó- — 10−21
  • Indonesian: zepto- — 10−21
  • Japanese: ゼプト- (zeputo-) — 10−21
  • Malay: zepto- — 10−21
  • Persian: زپتو — 10−21
  • Russian: зепто- (zepto-) — 10−21
  • Spanish: zepto- — 10−21
  • Ukrainian: зепто- (zepto-) — 10−21
  • Vietnamese: zép-tô — 10−21
  • Vietnamese: zep-tô — 10−21
  • Vietnamese: giép-tô — 10−21