メートルの定義と意味 | Dictionary.com

METER Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com Jump to: meter meter 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. m -meter -meter a combining form meaning “measure,” used in the names of instruments measuring quantity, extent, degree, etc.. Synonyms meter 1 American [ mee -ter] / ˈmi tər / especially British, metre 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. m meter 2 American [ mee -ter] / ˈmi tər / especially British, metre noun Music. the rhythmic element as measured by division into parts of equal time value. the unit of measurement, in terms of number of beats, adopted for a given piece of music. Prosody. poetic measure; arrangement of words in regularly measured, patterned, or rhythmic lines or verses. 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. meter 3 American [ mee -ter] / ˈmi tər / especially British, metre noun an instrument for measuring, especially one that automatically measures and records the quantity of something, as of gas, water, miles, or time, when it is activated. parking meter . verb (used with object) metered, metering to measure by means of a meter. to process (mail) by means of a postage meter . -meter 4 American a combining form meaning “measure,” used in the names of instruments measuring quantity, extent, degree, etc.. altimeter; barometer. meter 1 British / ˈmiːtə / noun the US spelling of metre 1 "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 meter 2 British / ˈmiːtə / noun the US spelling of metre 2 "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 meter 3 British / ˈmiːtə / noun any device that measures and records the quantity of a substance, such as gas, that has passed through it during a specified period any device that measures and sometimes records an electrical or magnetic quantity, such as current, voltage, etc See parking meter "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 verb to measure (a rate of flow) with a meter to print with stamps by means of a postage meter "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 -meter 4 British combining form indicating an instrument for measuring barometer prosody indicating a verse having a specified number of feet pentameter "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 meter Scientific / mē ′ tər / The basic unit of length in the metric system, equal to 39.37 inches. See Table at measurement meter 1 Cultural 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. meter 2 Cultural The highly organized rhythm characteristic of verse ; the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. ( See iambic pentameter .) Usage What does -meter mean? The combining form -meter is used like a suffix meaning “measure” or "measuring instrument." It is often used in scientific and technical terms. The form -meter comes from Greek métron, meaning “measure.” Find out how métron is also the source of diameter , isometric , and metronome at our entries for these words. What are variants of -meter? While -meter doesn't have any variants, it's related to the forms -metric , -metrics , and -metry .. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for these forms. Other Word Forms unmetered adjective Etymology Origin of meter 1 First recorded in 1790–1800; from French mètre, from Greek métron “measure” Origin of meter 2 First recorded before 900; Middle English metir, metur, Old English meter, from Latin metrum “poetic rhythm or meter, verse,” from Greek métron “measure”; replacing Middle English metre, from Middle French metre, from Latin as above Origin of meter 3 First recorded in 1805–15; see origin at mete 1 , -er 1 Origin of -meter 4 < New Latin -metrum < Greek métron measure Explanation The machine at the parking space that takes your quarters is a meter . A meter is also a way of organizing and counting beats in poetry or music, and in the metric system, a meter is roughly equal to a yard. Despite the fact that meter has many uses, they all relate to the same things: counting and measuring. The parking meter measures how long you've been parked, while a car's speedometer measures speed. Meters and kilometers measure distance. In music and poetry, the meter is the rhythm or beat. English poetry, such as the work of Shakespeare, uses a meter called iambic pentameter, which sounds like da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM. Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com Vocabulary lists containing meter TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades) Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide! Reading: Literature - Poetry - Introductory Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use! Reading: Literature - Poetry - Middle School Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time! Example Sentences Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com. Over the years, countries have become steadily more energy efficient, squeezing more economic activity out of each drop of oil or cubic meter of natural gas burned. From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026 "Changing your behaviour, being on a dynamic tariff – there's no cost saving just from having the smart meter installed." From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026 He could run a 1500 meter in 4 minutes and 20 seconds and a 5K in 14 minutes and 50 seconds, his page said. From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026 That fossil pushed the record of blind snakes deeper into the age of dinosaurs and suggested that some early blind snakes were much larger than their living relatives, topping 1 meter in length. From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2026 "Lu, you're up first. Hundred meter on the whistle," the coach directed. From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds Related Words feet Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023 Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.