Hecto is a decimal unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of one hundred. It was adopted as a multiplier in 1795, and comes from the Greek ἑκατόν hekaton, meaning "hundred". In 19th century English it was sometimes spelled hecato, in line with a puristic opinion by Thomas Young Its unit symbol as an SI prefix in the International System of Units (SI) is the lower case letter h.
It is rarely used, except in certain specific applications: