from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Hundred \Hun"dred\ (h[u^]n"dr[e^]d), n. [OE. hundred, AS.
hundred a territorial division; hund hundred + a word akin to
Goth. ga-ra[thorn]jan to count, L. ratio reckoning, account;
akin to OS. hunderod, hund, D. hondred, G. hundert, OHG. also
hunt, Icel. hundra[eth], Dan. hundrede, Sw. hundra, hundrade,
Goth. hund, Lith. szimtas, Russ. sto, W. cant, Ir. cead, L.
centum, Gr. "ekato`s, Skr. [,c]ata. [root]309. Cf. {Cent},
{Century}, {Hecatomb}, {Quintal}, and {Reason}.]
1. The product of ten multiplied by ten, or the number of ten
times ten; a collection or sum, consisting of ten times
ten units or objects; five score. Also, a symbol
representing one hundred units, as 100 or C.
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With many hundreds treading on his heels. --Shak.
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Note: The word hundred, as well as thousand, million, etc.,
often takes a plural form. We may say hundreds, or many
hundreds, meaning individual objects or units, but with
an ordinal numeral adjective in constructions like five
hundreds, or eight hundreds, it is usually intended to
consider each hundred as a separate aggregate; as, ten
hundreds are one thousand.
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2. A division of a country in England, supposed to have
originally contained a hundred families, or freemen.
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{Hundred court}, a court held for all the inhabitants of a
hundred. [Eng.] --Blackstone.
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