liter

[ lee-ter ]

noun
  1. a unit of capacity redefined in 1964 by a reduction of 28 parts in a million to be exactly equal to one cubic decimeter. It is equivalent to 1.0567 U.S. liquid quarts and is equal to the volume of one kilogram of distilled water at 4°C. Abbreviation: l

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Origin of liter

1
1800–10; <French litre, back formation from litron an old measure of capacity, derivative (with -on noun suffix) of Medieval Latin litra<Greek lítra pound
  • Also especially British, li·tre .

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How to use liter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for liter

liter

/ (ˈliːtə) /


noun
  1. the US spelling of litre

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 liter

liter

[ tər ]


  1. The basic unit of liquid volume or capacity in the metric system, equal to 1.06 quart or 2.12 pints. See Table at measurement.

  2. The basic unit of dry volume or capacity in the metric system, equal to 0.90 quart or 1.82 pint. See Table at measurement.

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