Hecto-
prefix denoting 10 to the 2nd power
Hecto (symbol: h) is a decimal unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of one hundred. It was adopted as a multiplier in 1795, and comes from the Greek ἑκατόν hekatón, meaning "hundred". In 19th century English it was sometimes spelled "hecato", in line with a puristic opinion by Thomas Young. Its unit symbol as an SI prefix in the International System of Units (SI) is the lower case letter h.
The prefix is rarely used in general, but has certain specific applications:
hectopascal (hPa), in meteorology, for atmospheric pressure, the modern equivalent of the traditional millibar.
hectolitre (hl or hL), in agriculture, for liquids (notably milk and alcoholic beverages) and bulk commodities (e.g., grain).
hectogram (hg), in agronomy, for quantities of animal feed (hectogram/animal) and for measures of agricultural productivity (hectogram/hectare); also used in Italy abbreviated as etto, and in Canada, New Zealand and Sweden simply as 100 g, for retail sale of cold cuts and meat.
hectometre (hm), in radio astronomy, occasionally used to indicate a radio band by wavelength
In surveying, a square hectometre is called a hectare (ha, or 100 ares = 1 hm2 = 10,000 m2).
The public source identifies “Hecto-” as prefix denoting 10 to the 2nd power. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Hecto-, prefix and denoting.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 11, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q152512. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1795.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Hecto-” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.