metre
/ˈmiːtəɹ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.76 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299 792 458 seconds. The metre is equal to 39+⁴⁷⁄₁₂₇ (approximately 39.37) imperial inches.
Example Sentences
- "Holonyms: kilometre < megametre < gigametre < terametre < petametre"
- "Meronyms: picometre < nanometre < micrometre < millimetre < centimetre < decimetre"
- "The measures of length above the metre are ten times ... greater than the metre."
- "A dress length of 8 metres of the best quality costs 58 francs."
- "The 12-metre yachts ... can be sailed efficiently with four paid hands."
- "It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: mètre, μέτρον, -, metrum
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmiːtəɹ/
- British English: /ˈmiːtə/
Usage
- British usage
- Canadian usage
- Countable
- Uncountable