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thousand
A number that, linguistically, comes from an extension of "hundred" and has roots in the Germanic teue and hundt. Teue refers to a thickening or swelling, and hundt is the source of our present-day hundred. A thousand, then, literally means a swollen or large hundred. The root teue is the basis of such common words today as thigh, thumb, tumor, and tuber. One thousand is the answer to the question: If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"? While Americans may say "Thanks a million" to express gratitude, Norwegians offer "Thanks a thousand" ("tusen takk").
Related categories
• NOTABLE NUMBERS
• MATHEMATICS
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