What is thousand? How to use in English

Discover the meaning of thousand in English, its pronunciation, and how to use it correctly in real-life situations. See examples and easy memorization tips.

Definition & pronunciation of thousand

thousandnumeral

một nghìn, một ngàn

/ˈθaʊznd/

Definition & pronunciation of <strong>thousand</strong>

Where does the word thousand come from?

The word "thousand" has its origin in ancient languages. The Proto-Indo-European root "dekm" meant "ten", and the Proto-Indo-European root "pte" meant "head" or "sum". The combination of these roots, "dekpte", likely meant "ten heads" or "ten sums" of ten. This phrase was inherited by ancient languages such as Greek and Latin. In Greek, the word "χίλιοι" (chilioi) meant "thousand", and was composed of the prefix "χίλιο-" (chilio-), meaning "ten times", and the root "iode" (iōde) meaning "head". Similarly, in Latin, the word "mille" was derived from the phrase "mi-ctilli", meaning "ten times ten", with the root "cti" meaning "ten". The word "thousand" was later borrowed into Middle English from Old French "mille", which itself came from Latin "mille". Over time, the spelling and pronunciation of the word evolved into the "thousand" we use today.

Vocabulary summary thousand

typeadjective

meaningthousand

typenoun

meaningone thousand, one thousand

meaningmany, thousands

examplethousands of people

examplea thousand thanks

examplea thousand pardons (apologies)

meaningone thousand and one, countless

exampleto make a thousand and one excuses

Example of vocabulary thousandnamespace

meaning

1 000

meaning

a large number

  • There were thousands of people there.
meaning

the numbers from 1 000 to 9 999

  • The cost ran into the thousands.

Idioms of vocabulary thousand

bat a thousand
(North American English, informal)to be very successful
  • He’s made another sale? He’s really batting a thousand!

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