metric system

American  

[me-trik- sis-tuhm] / ˈmɛ trɪk ˌsɪs təm /

noun

1. a decimal system of weights and measures, based on the meter (39.37 inches) for length and the gram (15.432 grains) for mass or weight, first adopted in France in the 17th century, now universally used in science, and officially used for all purposes in most countries. Derived units are the liter (0.908 U.S. dry quart, or 1.0567 U.S. liquid quart) for capacity, being the volume of 1,000 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-, 1,000; 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 (abbreviationSI ) or in English as the International System of Units.

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metric system British  

noun

1. any decimal system of units based on the metre. For scientific purposes the Système International d'Unités (SI units) is used

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metric system Scientific  

1. A decimal system of weights and measures based on the meter as a unit of length, the kilogram as a unit of mass, and the liter as a unit of volume.

2. Compare US Customary System See Table at measurement

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metric system Cultural  

1. A system of measurement in which the basic units are the meter, the second, and the kilogram. In this system, the ratios between units of measurement are multiples of ten. For example, a kilogram is a thousand grams, and a centimeter is one-hundredth of a meter. Virtually all countries of the world, except the United States, use the metric system. Among scientists, the metric system is called SI — an abbreviation for Système internationale, which is French for “International System.”

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Etymology

Origin of metric system

First recorded in 1860–65

Compare meaning

How does metric-system compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• metric system vs. English system

Example Sentences

Perhaps the answer lies in the first items I mentioned, the metric system and the 24-hour clock; They are customs, rather than measures of standards of living or health.

From Salon • Aug. 5, 2023

Mac joked about the quickest way to lower temperatures: “Convert to the metric system. When we convert to the metric system, temperatures will drop 15 degrees, overnight.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 20, 2022

Now, the booming growth of the data sphere has prompted the governors of the metric system to agree on new prefixes beyond that magnitude, to describe the outrageously big and small.

From Scientific American • Nov. 23, 2022

“There was a discomfort that I was experiencing,” Mr. Suh said, which included having to navigate a language barrier, and the difference between the metric system he was used to and the imperial system.

From New York Times • Aug. 30, 2022

The metric system merely completed a process that had begun with the invention of the telescope, which definitively destroyed the idea that the universe was made on the same scale as man.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton