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metric system

met·ric sys·tem
M m

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [me-trik sis-tuh m]
    • /ˈmɛ trɪk ˈsɪs təm/
    • /ˈmet.rɪk ˈsɪstəm/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [me-trik sis-tuh m]
    • /ˈmɛ trɪk ˈsɪs təm/

Definitions of metric system words

  • noun metric system a decimal system of weights and measures, adopted first in France but now widespread, universally used in science, mandatory for use for all purposes in a large number of countries, and favored for use in most (as in the U.S.). The basic units are the meter (39.37 inches) for length and the gram (15.432 grains) for mass or weight. Derived units are the liter (0.908 U.S. dry quart, or 1.0567 U.S. liquid quart) for capacity, being the volume of 1000 grams of water under specified conditions; the are (119.6 square yards) for area, being the area of a square 10 meters on a side; and the stere (35.315 cubic feet) for volume, being the volume of a cube 1 meter on a side, the term “stere,” however, usually being used only in measuring firewood. Names for units larger and smaller than these are formed from the above names by the use of the following prefixes: kilo-, 1000; hecto-, 100; deka-, 10; deci-, 0.1; centi-, 0.01; milli-, 0.001. To these are often added: tera-, one trillion; giga-, one billion; mega-, one million. With the addition of basic physical units it is now officially known by the French name Le Système International d'Unités (abbreviation SI, ) or in English as the International System of Units. 1
  • noun metric system decimal measures 1
  • singular noun metric system The metric system is the system of measurement that uses metres, grams, and litres. 0
  • noun metric system any decimal system of units based on the metre. For scientific purposes the Système International d'Unités (SI units) is used 0
  • noun metric system any of various decimal systems of weights and measures; now, esp., the SI system, in which the centimeter, gram, and second or the meter, kilogram, and second are the basic units 0
See all 5 definitions of metric system

Information block about the term

Origin of metric system

First appearance:

before 1860
One of the 29% newest English words
First recorded in 1860-65

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Metric system

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Metric system

metric system popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 34% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 65% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

metric system usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

See also

Matching words

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