kilo

[ kee-loh, kil-oh ]

noun,plural ki·los.
  1. (a word used in communications to represent the letter K.)

Origin of kilo

1
First recorded in 1865–70; shortened form

Other definitions for kilo- (2 of 2)

kilo-

  1. a Greek combining form meaning “thousand,” introduced from French in the nomenclature of the metric system (kiloliter); on this model, used in the formation of compound words in other scientific measurements (kilowatt).

Origin of kilo-

2
<French, representing Greek chī́lioi a thousand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use kilo in a sentence

  • Automobiles (including motor-cycles) weighing less than 125 kilos pay a flat rate of 120 francs.

    The Automobilist Abroad | M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield
  • Fifty francs per 100 kilos on all motor vehicles weighing more than 125 kilos.

    The Automobilist Abroad | M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield
  • The motor pays 18 francs, 50 centimes per hundred kilos., and the carrosserie according to its form or design.

    The Automobilist Abroad | M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield
  • When he comes to large weights, does he not commonly abjure the 1,000 kilos and write one tonne?

  • The yield of this latter principle was extremely small, only about 0.89 gram being procured from 65 kilos of coffee.

    All About Coffee | William H. Ukers

British Dictionary definitions for kilo (1 of 3)

kilo1

/ (ˈkiːləʊ) /


nounplural kilos
  1. short for kilogram, kilometre

British Dictionary definitions for kilo (2 of 3)

kilo2

/ (ˈkiːləʊ) /


noun
  1. communications a code word for the letter k

British Dictionary definitions for kilo- (3 of 3)

kilo-

prefix
  1. denoting 10³ (1000): kilometre Symbol: k

  2. (in computer technology) denoting 2 10 (1024): kilobyte: in computer usage, kilo- is restricted to sizes of storage (e.g. kilobit) when it means 1024; in other computer contexts it retains its usual meaning of 1000

Origin of kilo-

3
from French, from Greek khilioi thousand

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

Scientific definitions for kilo-

kilo-

  1. A prefix that means:

  2. One thousand, as in kilowatt, one thousand watts.

  1. 210 (that is, 1,024), which is the power of 2 closest to 1,000, as in kilobyte.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.