nanosecond

plural nanoseconds

1. metrologyAn SI unit of time equal to 10⁻⁹ seconds. Symbol: ns

   Meronyms: quectosecond < rontosecond < yoctosecond < zeptosecond < attosecond < femtosecond < picosecond

   3 more examples

   Holonyms: microsecond < millisecond < centisecond < decisecond < second < decasecond < minute < hectosecond < kilosecond < hour < day < week < megasecond < fortnight < month < year < gigasecond < century < kiloannum, kiloyear, millennium < terasecond < mega-annum, megayear < petasecond < giga-annum, gigayear < exasecond < zettasecond < yottasecond < ronnasecond < quettasecond

   Since the tiny magnetic domains have to travel only submolecular distances, it is possible to read and write magnetic regions with different polarization as quickly as a single nanosecond — far faster than existing storage technologies.

   2007 September 11, John Markoff, “Redefining the Architecture of Memory”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2020

   “We were heavily involved in also trading: people on Wall Street were buying our stuff to save a few nanoseconds on the wire, the banks were doing crazy things like pulling the fibres under the Hudson taut to make them a little big shorter, to save a few nanoseconds between their datacentre and the stock exchange,” he said.

   2023 March 26, Alex Hern, quoting Michael Kagan, “Cryptocurrencies add nothing useful to society, says chip-maker Nvidia”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 28 Apr 2023

2. figurativelyAn extremely short period of time; an instant.

   I just know that the nanosecond I take my eyes off my phone, somebody's going to steal it.