Why do we abbreviate thousands and use the letter K?
Why do we abbreviate thousands and use the letter K?
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AndyAudi

Original Poster:

3,556 posts

239 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
As per title, only thought about this today despite using it every day for years.

Initally thought it might be Roman but then remebered that there letter for 1000 was M.

I've tried a couple of searches to no avail so thought I'd pose the question to the PH masses

hugo a gogo

23,417 posts

250 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
It's short for the prefix kilo- which comes from the Greek χίλιοι ("khilioi"), meaning thousand

AndyAudi

Original Poster:

3,556 posts

239 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
hugo a gogo said:
It's short for the prefix kilo- which comes from the Greek χίλιοι ("khilioi"), meaning thousand
Much obliged and obvious when put in front of you!

2something

2,145 posts

225 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
Kilogramme
Kilometre
Kilomapped

nonplussed

3,338 posts

246 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
hugo a gogo said:
It's short for the prefix kilo- which comes from the Greek χίλιοι ("khilioi"), meaning thousand
This is what makes PH great clap

hugo a gogo

23,417 posts

250 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
thanks wink

orl my own work, looking up wikipedia

cloggy

4,959 posts

226 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
Actually thousands were never abbriviated with K untill the seventies.
It came from the IT world where one thousand bytes (1024 actually) was abbriviated to one K (One Kilo Byte), this then transgressed into the main stream.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

287 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
cloggy said:
Actually thousands were never abbriviated with K untill the seventies.
It came from the IT world where one thousand bytes (1024 actually) was abbriviated to one K (One Kilo Byte), this then transgressed into the main stream.
Well, formally when France adopted the metric system in 1795, so a bit before then.

cloggy

4,959 posts

226 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
I know that but is was never used for financial expressions in the main language untill the seventies.

Ozone

3,068 posts

204 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
cloggy said:
Actually thousands were never abbriviated with K untill the seventies.
It came from the IT world where one thousand bytes (1024 actually) was abbriviated to one K (One Kilo Byte), this then transgressed into the main stream.
Could be from when the metric system was starting to be taught in schools in the 70's

Hoppy2008

2,496 posts

212 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
Manuel started it.
He used to say it when he never understood the larger numbers.

HRG

72,863 posts

256 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
Ozone said:
cloggy said:
Actually thousands were never abbriviated with K untill the seventies.
It came from the IT world where one thousand bytes (1024 actually) was abbriviated to one K (One Kilo Byte), this then transgressed into the main stream.
Could be from when the metric system was starting to be taught in schools in the 70's
What do they call the Quarterpounder in France?

Ozone

3,068 posts

204 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
HRG said:
Ozone said:
cloggy said:
Actually thousands were never abbriviated with K untill the seventies.
It came from the IT world where one thousand bytes (1024 actually) was abbriviated to one K (One Kilo Byte), this then transgressed into the main stream.
Could be from when the metric system was starting to be taught in schools in the 70's
What do they call the Quarterpounder in France?
Royale with cheese?

sleep envy

62,260 posts

266 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
HRG said:
Ozone said:
cloggy said:
Actually thousands were never abbriviated with K untill the seventies.
It came from the IT world where one thousand bytes (1024 actually) was abbriviated to one K (One Kilo Byte), this then transgressed into the main stream.
Could be from when the metric system was starting to be taught in schools in the 70's
What do they call the Quarterpounder in France?
un sandwiche avec fromage, you rosbif

HRG

72,863 posts

256 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
Ozone said:
HRG said:
Ozone said:
cloggy said:
Actually thousands were never abbriviated with K untill the seventies.
It came from the IT world where one thousand bytes (1024 actually) was abbriviated to one K (One Kilo Byte), this then transgressed into the main stream.
Could be from when the metric system was starting to be taught in schools in the 70's
What do they call the Quarterpounder in France?
Royale with cheese?
Check out the brain on Brad...

Simpo Two

89,679 posts

282 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
O-level physics 1977 - 'SI Units':

Tera
Giga
Mega
Kilo
1
Milli
Micro
Nano
Pico


Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 21st April 10:22

sprinter1050

11,550 posts

244 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
It's just a trendy "city" thing.

..or probably another Brussels imposition.

Can't see why G for Grand or T for Thousand can't be used..
getmecoat

Edited by sprinter1050 on Tuesday 21st April 10:22

cloggy

4,959 posts

226 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
Ozone said:
cloggy said:
Actually thousands were never abbriviated with K untill the seventies.
It came from the IT world where one thousand bytes (1024 actually) was abbriviated to one K (One Kilo Byte), this then transgressed into the main stream.
Could be from when the metric system was starting to be taught in schools in the 70's
Could be in the UK but in Holland where we had the metric system since Napoleontic times we never said I earn 10 K per year. That started in the seventies eighties.
Funny enough people still use the terms 'ons or ounce' when bying a 100 grams of food or (pond or pound) when bying 500 grams of food stuff.

sleep envy

62,260 posts

266 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
you keraaaazy dutch

Justayellowbadge

37,057 posts

259 months

Tuesday 21st April 2009
quotequote all
The dutch selling things in ounces?

scratchchin