The English language has a number of words for indefinite and fictitious numbers - inexact terms of indefinite size, used for comic effect, for exaggeration, or when precision is unnecessary or undesirable. Umpteen Umpteen is a term for an unspecified but reasonably large number, used in a humorous fashion or to imply that it is not worth the effort to pin down the actual figure. Despite the -teen ending, which would seem to indicate that it lies between 12 and 20, umpteen can be used in ways implying it is much larger than that—if it ever could be pinned down. The word is apparently derived from the slang ump(ty), a dash in Morse code (of imitative origin), plus -teen. [LINK: http://209.10.134.179/61/73/U0017300.html] [1] A derived term using the same root is umpty-ump. Zillion Imaginary words ending in the