hundred

The hundred is the natural number that follows ninety-nine and precedes one hundred one. In decimal notation it is written as 100; in Roman numerals it is written as C. It is the base-10 system’s square, since 100 equals 10 squared.

The English term hundred comes from Old English hundred and related forms in other Germanic languages; these words derive from a Proto-Germanic root for the number, and have cognates such as German hundert and Dutch honderd.

In medieval Europe, the hundred was an administrative and fiscal unit used for taxation, jurisdiction, and organization of troops. The size and responsibilities of a hundred varied by region, but it commonly served as a subdivision of larger shires or counties.

In mathematics and measurement, hundred denotes a base-10 concept and is represented by the Roman numeral C. The phrase per centum, meaning per hundred, gives the modern word percent, and the prefix centi- denotes one hundredth. The hundredweight is a mass unit with different values in US and British systems: the US hundredweight equals 100 pounds, while the British long hundredweight equals 112 pounds.

Culturally, a hundred is often used as a milestone or benchmark, such as a hundred years constituting a century or the expression “a hundred percent.” It also appears in many idioms and expressions across languages to convey completeness or a large quantity.