For today’s Weird Word Wednesday, let’s look at three words related to time: Picosecond, yoctosecond and zeptosecond. Since 2021 is coming to a close and we’ll soon be counting down the seconds to midnight on New Year’s Eve, these words seem apropos.
Here’s what www.merriam-webster says about these well-timed words:
Pronunciation: [ ˌpē-kō-ˈse-kənd, -kənt ]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: One trillionth of a second.
Language origin: International Scientific Vocabulary
First known use: Circa 1962.
“Picosecond.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picosecond. Accessed 12 Dec. 2021.
Pronunciation: [ ˈyäk-tə-ˌse-kənd, -kənt ]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: One septillionth of a second.
Language origin: International Scientific Vocabulary
First known use: 1996
“Yoctosecond.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yoctosecond. Accessed 12 Dec. 2021.
Pronunciation: [ ˈzep-tə-ˌse-kənd, -kənt ]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: One sextillionth of a second.
Language origin: International Scientific Vocabulary
First known use: 1994
“Zeptosecond.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zeptosecond. Accessed 12 Dec. 2021.