nano- [NA noh], nan-, nanno-, -nania
(Greek: dwarf, dwarfish; pygmy; "little old man;" very small or tiny; also, a decimal prefix used in the international metric system for measurements)
This prefix is used in the metric [decimal] system as billionth [U.S.] and thousand-millionth [U.K.], 10-9 [0.000 000 001]. The metric symbol for nano- is n.
2. An abnormally small head of a newborn with a congenitally small brain; microcephaly.
The nanocircuit is not designed to be used in a computer chip; instead, it is proof that allows a research team to test the switching speed of its design.
While using a nanocircuit, researchers have claimed that they could achieve a speed of 50 megahertz, hundreds of times slower than the gigahertz speeds of silicon processors seen in most personal computers; however, the researchers say the circuit is 100,000 times faster than any previously recorded for a device made with a carbon nanotube, and with continued refinement they hope to push speeds beyond those possible today.
This unit was previously called the millimicrofarad (mµF).
2. One billionth (1/1,000,000,000) gram: NG.
Additional topics are available at Nanotechnology: Index of Articles.
Related "few, small, less, little" word units: micro-; mini-; mio-, meio-; oligo-, olig-.
Related "metric" families: yotta; zetta; exa; peta; tera; giga; mega; kilo; hecto; deka; deci; centi; milli; micro; pico; femto; atto; zepto; yocto.