meter
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meter¹
- /ˈmitəɹ/
- [ˈmiɾɚ] US
- /ˈmiːtə/ UK
- /ˈmiːʈəʳ/ South Asia
- /mĕʈ.ɜʳ/ South Asia, uncommon
Rhymes with -iːtə(ɹ), -ɛtə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English metere (“one who measures, measurer”), perhaps (with change in suffix) from Old English metend (“one who measures or metes”), equivalent to mete (“to measure”) + -er. The transference from "person who measures" to "device that measures" was probably assisted by association with -meter, as in barometer, etc.
Cognate with Scots mettar, metter (“meter, measurer”), Saterland Frisian Meter, Meeter (“measurer, measuring device, gauge”), West Frisian mjitter (“measurer”), Dutch meter (“measurer, gauge”), German Low German Meter (“measuring device, gauge”), German Messer (“measurer, measuring device, gauge”), Swedish mätare (“measurer”).
noun meters
- A device that measures things.
- A parking meter or similar device for collecting payment. gas meter
- One who metes or measures. a labouring coal-meter
- A line above or below a hanging net, to which the net is attached in order to strengthen it.
verb meters · metering · metered
- To measure with a metering device.
- To imprint a postage mark with a postage meter.
- To regulate the flow of or to deliver in regulated amounts (usually of fluids but sometimes of other things such as anticipation or breath).
meter²
- /ˈmitəɹ/
- [ˈmiɾɚ] US
- /ˈmiːtə/ UK
- /ˈmiːʈəʳ/ South Asia
- /mĕʈ.ɜʳ/ South Asia, uncommon
Rhymes with -iːtə(ɹ), -ɛtə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French mètre, itself borrowed from Latin metrum, borrowed from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron).
noun meters
- US standard spelling of metre (“a unit of measure”). No trees have grown on the windswept Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean for tens of thousands of years — just shrubs and other low-lying vegetation. That’s why a recent arboreal discovery nearly 20 feet (6 meters) beneath the ground caught researchers’ attention.
meter³
- /ˈmitəɹ/
- [ˈmiɾɚ] US
- /ˈmiːtə/ UK
- /ˈmiːʈəʳ/ South Asia
- /mĕʈ.ɜʳ/ South Asia, uncommon
Rhymes with -iːtə(ɹ), -ɛtə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English meter, metre, from Old English meter and Old French metre; both from Latin metrum, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron).
noun meters
- US standard spelling of metre (“the rhythm or measure”).
- A poem. A meter of […]berses in the Utopian tongue
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: m, metre, time, beat, cadence, measure, taximeter, speedometer, odometer, dashboard, rack, metro, apparatus, device, scale, regulator
Translations
Every language
noun measuring instrument
| Español | medidor, contador, metro |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 계량기 gyeryanggi |
| 日本語 | メーター mētā, 計量器 keiryōki |
| 中文 | 計量表 /计量表 jìliángbiǎo |
| Português | contador |
| Français | mètre, compteur |
| Deutsch | Messgerät |
| Italiano | metro, contatore |
| Ελληνικά | μέτρο métro, ρολόι rolói |
| Română | metru, contor |
| Русский | счётчик sčótčik, измери́тель izmerítelʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | cái đo, người đo |
| العربية | مِقْيَاس miqyās |
| עברית | מֶטֶר méter, מִדָּה midá |
Talk about this word "meter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/meter. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. meter. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/meter "meter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/meter.Cite this
@misc{meter_2026,
title = {meter},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/meter},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
