pico-

UK/ˈpiː.kəʊ/US/ˈpaɪ.koʊ/US/ˈpi.koʊ/

prefix

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻¹² (short scale trillionth or long scale billionth).

Opposite
tera-
OriginSpanish pico ← Old Spanish bico ← Latin beccus →
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Meanings

prefix
  1. In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻¹² (short scale trillionth or long scale billionth).

    Antonyms: tera-

  2. biologyUsed to designate sizes, especially, of cells, smaller than those prefixed by nano- or micro-; sized between 0.2 and 2.0 μm.

Synonyms & antonyms

prefixIn the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻¹² (short scale trillionth or long scale billionth).

Opposite
tera-

Origin

  1. Proto-Celtic*bekkos
  2. Gaulish*bekkosbor.?
  3. Latinbeccus
  4. Old Spanishbico
  5. Spanishpico
  6. Englishpico-

Borrowed from Spanish pico (“beak, little bit, speck”)

More words from Spanish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian пико-
  • пико- (piko-)multiplying the unit by 10−12
Chinese 皮-
  • 皮- (pí)multiplying the unit by 10−12
Czech piko-
  • piko-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Danish pico-, piko-
  • pico-multiplying the unit by 10−12
  • piko-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Dutch pico-
  • pico-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Finnish piko-
  • piko-multiplying the unit by 10−12
French pico-
  • pico-multiplying the unit by 10−12
German piko-
  • piko-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Hungarian piko-
  • piko-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Icelandic píkó-
  • píkó-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Indonesian piko-
  • piko-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Japanese ピコ
  • ピコ (piko-)multiplying the unit by 10−12
Malay piko-
  • piko-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Russian пико-
  • пико- (piko-)multiplying the unit by 10−12
Spanish pico-
  • pico-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Swedish piko-
  • piko-multiplying the unit by 10−12
Vietnamese pi-cô
  • pi-cômultiplying the unit by 10−12
Cite this entry
APA

pico-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pico-

MLA

“pico-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pico-. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pico-,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pico-.

Source: pico- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.