cal·i·ber

[kal-uh-ber]
noun
1.
the diameter of something of circular section, especially that of the inside of a tube: a pipe of three-inch caliber.
2.
Ordnance. the diameter of the bore of a gun taken as a unit of measurement.
3.
degree of capacity or competence; ability: a mathematician of high caliber.
4.
degree of merit or excellence; quality: the high moral caliber of the era.
Also, especially British, cal·i·bre.


Origin:
1560–70; variant of calibre < Middle FrenchArabic qālib mold, last < Greek kālápous shoe last, equivalent to kāla- combining form of kâlon wood + poús foot (see -pod)

cal·i·bered; especially British, cal·i·bred, adjective


4. worth, distinction.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To calibre
00:10
Calibre is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
calibre or caliber (ˈkælɪbə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the diameter of a cylindrical body, esp the internal diameter of a tube or the bore of a firearm
2.  the diameter of a shell or bullet
3.  ability; distinction: a musician of high calibre
4.  personal character: a man of high calibre
 
[C16: from Old French, from Italian calibro, from Arabic qālib shoemaker's last, mould]
 
caliber or caliber
 
n
 
[C16: from Old French, from Italian calibro, from Arabic qālib shoemaker's last, mould]
 
'calibred or caliber
 
adj
 
'calibered or caliber
 
adj

calibre or caliber (ˈkælɪbə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the diameter of a cylindrical body, esp the internal diameter of a tube or the bore of a firearm
2.  the diameter of a shell or bullet
3.  ability; distinction: a musician of high calibre
4.  personal character: a man of high calibre
 
[C16: from Old French, from Italian calibro, from Arabic qālib shoemaker's last, mould]
 
caliber or caliber
 
n
 
[C16: from Old French, from Italian calibro, from Arabic qālib shoemaker's last, mould]
 
'calibred or caliber
 
adj
 
'calibered or caliber
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

caliber
1560s, "degree of merit or importance," from M.Fr. calibre (14c.), perhaps ultimately from Arabic qalib "a mold, last," perhaps from Gk. kalopodion "a shoemaker's last," lit. "little wooden foot," from kalon "wood" + podos gen. of pous "foot" (see foot). Arabic also used the
word in the sense "mold for casting bullets," which is the original literal meaning in English, though the earliest cited sense is a figurative one. Meaning "inside diameter of a gun barrel" is attested from 1580s.

calibre
British spelling of caliber (q.v.); for suffix, see -re.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

caliber cal·i·ber (kāl'ə-bər)
n.
The diameter of the inside of a round cylinder, such as a tube.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

calibre

in firearms, unit of measure indicating the interior, or bore, diameter of a gun barrel and the diameter of the gun's ammunition; or the length of a gun expressed in relation to its interior diameter (now used only of naval and coastal defense guns). See bore

Learn more about calibre with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
What's been overdue is high-calibre recognition for his magazine work.
The answers now have less to do with the calibre of his ministers than with his
  own nerve.
There is no reason that one cannot be a parent and be a physicist of the
  highest calibre.
No party's long-term prospects are determined solely by the calibre of its
  personnel.
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