metre

¹

/ ˈmiːtə /

noun

1. a metric unit of length equal to approximately 1.094 yards

2. the basic SI unit of length; the length of the path travelled by light in free space during a time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second. In 1983 this definition replaced the previous one based on krypton-86, which in turn had replaced the definition based on the platinum-iridium metre bar kept in Paris

metre

²

/ ˈmiːtə /

noun

1. prosody the rhythmic arrangement of syllables in verse, usually according to the number and kind of feet in a line

2. music another word (esp US) for time

Word History and Origins

Origin of metre¹

C18: from French; see _metre ²

Origin of metre²

C14: from Latin metrum, from Greek metron measure

Example Sentences

The following day another body was found about 25 metres from where the first was found.

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Chen Geshuang, who was part of Mr Dong's hiking group, said the snow was about a metre deep when the group started their retreat on Sunday.

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An abandoned station, a few rusted carriages and a dozen metres of track are all that is left of a Soviet railway in southern Armenia.

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"There's a huge difference: the Russians are paid per hundred metres, and Ukrainians are driven by patriotic feelings," he claims.

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Even just a few metres from where Francisco Ojeda was taking position in the dusty street, residents go about their daily routine unperturbed.

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Related Words

• cadence 
• flow 
• movement 
• pattern 
• pulse 
• swing 
• tempo