kilo

[ kee-loh, kil-oh ]

/ ˈki loʊ, ˈkɪl oʊ /

noun, plural ki·los.

kilogram.

kilometer.

(a word used in communications to represent the letter K.)

Origin of kilo

First recorded in 1865–70; shortened form

kilo-

a Greek combining form meaning “thousand,” introduced from French in the nomenclature of the metric system (kiloliter); on this model, used in the formation of compound words in other scientific measurements (kilowatt).

Origin of kilo-

< French, representing Greek chī́lioi a thousand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for kilo

This defendant was charged with having a kilo of heroin, serious dealer weight, but he had not been indicted.
A Sax Player, Then a Suspect After Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Final Act|Michael Daly|February 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The best horsetail hair comes from Latin America, at $25 a kilo.
Savoir Beds’ Royal State Bed: Just Perfect, If You Have $175,000|Daniel Gross|June 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That about a kilo is at issue in Moldova makes talk of a warhead far off, but it is hardly harmless.
A New Nuclear Scare Rocks Eastern Europe|Owen Matthews, Anna Nemtsova|June 30, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Well, I waked this morning just after sunrise with a feeling that Kilo was there staring at me.
Angel Island|Inez Haynes Gillmore

He's got mighty proud since he set out to build that there Kilo Opery House of his.
Kilo|Ellis Parker Butler
Across the bridge was a shop where you could buy anything from a pair of boots to a kilo of vermicelli.
Adventures of a Despatch Rider|W. H. L. Watson
Our kilos were written in a book, and each person was asked to write his name under his kilo.
The Sunny Side of Diplomatic Life, 1875-1912|Lillie DeHegermann-Lindencrone
You want to be boss of this party in Kilo county, that's what you want.
Kilo|Ellis Parker Butler

British Dictionary definitions for kilo

kilo

/ (ˈkiːləʊ) /

noun plural kilos

short for kilogram, kilometre

noun

communications a code word for the letter k

kilo-

prefix

denoting 10³ (1000)kilometre Symbol: k

(in computer technology) denoting 2 10 (1024): kilobyte: in computer usage, kilo- is restricted to sizes of storage (e.g. kilobit) when it means 1024; in other computer contexts it retains its usual meaning of 1000

Word Origin for kilo-

from French, from Greek khilioi thousand

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

Word Origin and History for kilo

kilo

1870, shortening of kilogram. Slang shortening key (in drug trafficking) is attested from 1968.

kilo-

word-forming element meaning "one thousand," introduced in French 1795, when the metric system was officially adopted there, from Greek khilioi "thousand," of unknown origin.

Medicine definitions for kilo

kilo-

pref.

One thousand (103):kilogram.

Science definitions for kilo

kilo-

A prefix that means:

One thousand, as in kilowatt, one thousand watts.

210 (that is, 1,024), which is the power of 2 closest to 1,000, as in kilobyte.

kilo

noun, plural ki·los.

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Nearby words

Origin of kilo

kilo-

Origin of kilo-

Examples from the Web for kilo

kilo

noun plural kilos

noun

kilo-

prefix

Word Origin for kilo-

kilo

kilo-

kilo-

pref.

kilo-