noun
Sagan
SAY-guhn
noun
1
An informal, jokey unit of measurement equal to at least four billion.
"The national debt is easily several sagans of dollars, jokes the columnist."
How to Use Sagan
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA humorous, informal unit meaning "an enormous number," referencing Carl Sagan's association with the phrase "billions and billions."
When to use it
Informal and jokey — rarely used in serious or technical writing.
Word Forms
Sagans plural, Sagans plural
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The national debt is easily several _____ of dollars, jokes the columnist.
Etymology
Coined from the phrase "billions and billions," popularly (if inaccurately) associated with astronomer Carl Sagan through Johnny Carson's impressions of him.