Hundreds

Hundreds is the plural form of the number 100 in the decimal counting system. As a cardinal number, it denotes multiples of one hundred (100, 200, 300, etc.) and appears in a wide range of contexts, from everyday counting to statistics and finance. In common usage, the word hundreds often refers to a large but unspecified quantity, as in hundreds of people or hundreds of dollars. In mathematics, the term also relates to the hundreds place in a multi-digit number, which represents the component from 100 to 999.

Historically, hundreds were administrative divisions in parts of the British Isles. In medieval England and some neighboring regions, a hundred was a geographic unit within a shire or county, serving purposes related to local governance, taxation, and justice. The name may reflect a division capable of providing a hundred men for military service, or it may arise from other early organizational concepts. The size and boundaries of a hundred varied by locale and over time, and hundreds commonly contained several parishes or settlements. Over the course of the 19th century and later reforms, the formal function of hundreds declined as modern districts and counties were reorganized.

In modern usage, the term hundreds remains common in language to indicate approximate numerosity and in historical discussions of English governance. Related concepts include the number century, place value in the decimal system, and related units of counting and measurement.