Adopted in 1795, it comes from the Greek ἑκατόν hekaton, meaning hundred.

It is rarely used, except for certain specific applications:

• hectopascal, in meteorology, for atmospheric pressure, the modern equivalent of the traditional millibar.
• hectolitre, in agriculture, for liquids (notably wine and milk) and bulk commodities (e.g. grain).
• hectogram, in agronomy, for quantities of animal feed (hectogram/animal) and for measures of agricultural productivity (hectogram/hectare); also used in Italy, abbreviated as etto, for retail sale of cold cuts and meat.
• hectometre, in radio astronomy, occasionally used to indicate a radio band by wavelength

See also

• SI prefix
• Numerical prefix