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meter

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me⋅ter

1  [mee-ter]
Use meter in a Sentence
–noun
the fundamental unit of length in the metric system, equivalent to 39.37 U.S. inches, originally intended to be, and being very nearly, equal to one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the pole measured on a meridian: defined from 1889 to 1960 as the distance between two lines on a platinum-iridium bar (the “International Prototype Meter”) preserved at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures near Paris; from 1960 to 1983 defined as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red radiation of krypton 86 under specified conditions; and now defined as 1/299,792,458 of the distance light travels in a vacuum in one second. Abbreviation: m
Also, British, metre.

Origin:
1790–1800; < F mètre < Gk métron measure
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me⋅ter

2  [mee-ter]
–noun
1. Music.
a. the rhythmic element as measured by division into parts of equal time value.
b. the unit of measurement, in terms of number of beats, adopted for a given piece of music. Compare measure (def. 14).
2. Prosody.
a. poetic measure; arrangement of words in regularly measured, patterned, or rhythmic lines or verses.
b. a particular form of such arrangement, depending on either the kind or the number of feet constituting the verse or both rhythmic kind and number of feet (usually used in combination): pentameter; dactylic meter; iambic trimeter.
Also, British, metre.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME metir, metur, OE meter < L metrum poetic meter, verse < Gk métron measure; r. ME metre < MF < L as above

me⋅ter

3  [mee-ter]
–noun
1. an instrument for measuring, esp. one that automatically measures and records the quantity of something, as of gas, water, miles, or time, when it is activated.
2. parking meter.
–verb (used with object)
3. to measure by means of a meter.
4. to process (mail) by means of a postage meter.
Also, British, metre.

Origin:
1805–15; see mete 1 , -er 1

-meter

 
a combining form meaning “measure,” used in the names of instruments measuring quantity, extent, degree, etc.: altimeter; barometer.
Compare -metry.

Origin:
< NL -metrum < Gk métron measure
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To meter
me·ter 1   (mē'tər)   
n.  

    1. The measured arrangement of words in poetry, as by accentual rhythm, syllabic quantity, or the number of syllables in a line.

    2. A particular arrangement of words in poetry, such as iambic pentameter, determined by the kind and number of metrical units in a line.

    3. The rhythmic pattern of a stanza, determined by the kind and number of lines.

    4. Division into measures or bars.

    5. A specific rhythm determined by the number of beats and the time value assigned to each note in a measure.

  2. Music

    1. Division into measures or bars.

    2. A specific rhythm determined by the number of beats and the time value assigned to each note in a measure.


[Middle English, from Old English meter and from Old French metre, both from Latin metrum, from Greek metron, measure, poetic meter; see mē-2 in Indo-European roots.]
me·ter 2   (mē'tər)   
n.   Abbr. m
The international standard unit of length, approximately equivalent to 39.37 inches. It was redefined in 1983 as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. See Table at measurement.

[French mètre, from Greek metron, measure; see mē-2 in Indo-European roots.]
me·ter 3   (mē'tər)   
n.  

  1. Any of various devices designed to measure time, distance, speed, or intensity or indicate and record or regulate the amount or volume, as of the flow of a gas or an electric current.

  2. A postage meter.

  3. A parking meter.

tr.v.   me·tered, me·ter·ing, me·ters

  1. To measure with a meter: meter a flow of water.

  2. To supply in a measured or regulated amount: metered the allotted gasoline to each vehicle.

  3. To imprint with postage or other revenue stamps by means of a postage meter or similar device: metering bulk mail.

  4. To provide with a parking meter or parking meters: meter parking spaces.


[From -meter.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

meter

The highly organized rhythm characteristic of verse; the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. (See iambic pentameter.)


meter

The basic unit of length in the metric system; it was originally planned so that the circumference of the Earth would be measured at about forty million meters. A meter is 39.37 inches. Today, the meter is defined to be the distance light travels in 1 / 299,792,458 seconds.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

meter  (1)
"poetic measure," O.E. meter, from L. metrum, from Gk. metron "meter, measure," from PIE base *me- "measure" (see meter (2)). Possibly reborrowed c.1330 (after a 300-year gap in recorded use) from O.Fr. metre, with specific sense of "metrical scheme in verse," from L. metrum.

meter  (2)
"unit of length," 1797, from Fr. mètre, from Gk. metron "measure," from PIE base *me- "measure" (cf. Gk. metra "lot, portion," Skt. mati "measures," matra "measure," Avestan, O.Pers. ma-, L. metri "to measure"). Developed by Fr. Academy of Sciences for system of weights and measures based on a decimal system originated 1670 by Fr. clergyman Gabriel Mouton. Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the length of a quadrant of the meridian.

meter  (3)
"device for measuring," abstracted 1832 from gas-meter, etc., from Fr. -mètre, used in combinations, from L. metrum "measure" or cognate Gk. metron "measure" (see meter (2)). Meter maid first recorded 1957.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1me·ter
Variant: or chiefly British me·tre /'mEt-&r/
Function: noun
: the base unit of length inthe International System of Units that is equal to the distance traveled in a vacuum by light in 1/299,792,458 second or to about 39.37 inches

Main Entry: 2meter
Function: noun
: an instrument for measuring and sometimes recording the time or amount of something
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

meter me·ter (mē'tər)
n.
Abbr. m
The standard unit of length in the International System of Units that is equivalent to 39.37 inches.

-meter suff.
Measuring device: refractometer.

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

meter spelling
US spelling of "metre".
(1998-02-07)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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