decimeter
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of decimeter
From the French word décimètre, dating back to 1800–10. See deci-, meter 1
Explanation
In the metric system, a decimeter is a unit of measurement that's about the same as four inches. You can estimate the width of a decimeter by aligning four U.S. quarters horizontally. There are ten decimeters in a meter, and the word itself comes from the French deci- and the Latin decimus, "tenth." Each decimeter is one-tenth of a meter, a measurement that's common in many parts of the world although relatively unusual in the U.S. Americans also spell it differently than most metric system-users, who write decimetre.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Five of them placed in a row will, of course, give the length of the decimeter; and two of them will weigh a decagram.
From Harper's Young People, April 13, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various
A lath was then cut of this exact length and given to the engineer of the Dobryna, who was directed to cut out of the solid rock the cubic decimeter required by the professor.
From Off on a Comet! a Journey through Planetary Space by Verne, Jules
A decimeter is one-tenth of that, namely, 3.937 inches; and a decameter 39.37, or ten times the meter, and so on.
From Practical Mechanics for Boys by Zerbe, James Slough
As the litre is a cubic decimeter, the key to the measure of length is also the key to measures of capacity.
From Harper's Young People, April 13, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various
By the appointed time the engineer had finished his task, and with all due care had prepared a cubic decimeter of the material of the comet.
From Off on a Comet! a Journey through Planetary Space by Verne, Jules
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
