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.
A sheet of paper, size 1 decimeter, seen at 5.70 meters, represents the same magnitude.
From Astronomy for Amateurs by Frances A. (Frances Alice) Welby
But the distance corresponding to 400,000 wave lengths is roughly a decimeter, and this cannot be determined or reproduced more accurately than say to one part in 500,000.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 633, February 18, 1888 by Various
Metric Lengths.--10 millimeters 1 centimeter, 10 centimeters 1 decimeter, 10 decimeters 1 meter, 10 meters 1 dekameter, 10 dekameters 1 hektometer, 10 hektometers 1 kilometer.
From The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing A Manual of Ready Reference by Joseph Triemens
The centimeter is then used in the same way to step off a decimeter, which again determines the nearest whole number, the fraction being observed directly as before.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 633, February 18, 1888 by Various
Of this rock here is a solid decimeter; let us get at its weight, and we shall have the key which will unlock the problem of the whole weight of Gallia.
From Off on a Comet! a Journey through Planetary Space by Jules Verne
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