meter
English meaning: Meter
Definition
(always meter) A device that measures things.
Example
“He fed coins into the parking meter before heading into the shop.”
Another example: “The poem is written in a strict, regular meter.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A neutral noun with two main senses: a measuring device ('a gas meter', 'a parking meter'), and (also spelled 'metre' in UK) a unit of length or a rhythmic pattern in verse or music. The spelling 'meter' is standard in the US for all senses; UK uses 'metre' for the unit and rhythm.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Greek 'metron' (measure); the device sense from this root via '-meter', the verse sense via Latin 'metrum', both entering English by the 19th century in the modern device sense.
Related Words
- hurdles
- backstroke
- metering
- steeplechase
- inflorescence
- breaststroke
- freestyle
- relay
- dash
- medley
Common Collocations
- parking meter
- gas meter
- water meter
- electricity meter
- read the meter
- poetic meter
Word Forms
meter (n/v); meters (pl); metering
Word Tools
Tools & Calculators
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B