kilo

[ kee-loh, kil-oh ]

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

Other definitions for kilo- (2 of 2)

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. 2023

How to use kilo in a sentence

Just a few months ago, an average chicken cost 110 rubles per kilo and Monday it is 130 rubles.
How Crimea Crashed the Russian Economy | Anna Nemtsova | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Greason said that an old-fashioned NASA-type government launch costs between $5000 and $8000 per kilo.
Up to a Point: A 'Space Corvette' in Every Garage | P. J. O’Rourke | September 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
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 | THE 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 | THE DAILY BEAST
Rhino horn can fetch up to $60,000 per kilo on the black market.
William Attacks 'Selfish and Ignorant' Rhino Poachers | Tom Sykes | June 19, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

In twenty years the average price fell from about 235 to 135 marks the 1000 kilo.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8 | Various
On the other side of the fire, reclining upon his elbow, the gnome kilo is poking the coals with a stick.
The Saxons | Edwin Davies Schoonmaker
One kilo of indigo yields in this manner a very concentrated vat of from 10 to 15 litres.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I | Arnold Cooley
Look at those great clusters of dates—ten francs a kilo, and we pay sixteen.
Sea and Sardinia | D. H. Lawrence
Let those who haste to decry modern institutions remember that to-day you can buy bread in Tournus for a few sous the kilo.
Burgundy: The Splendid Duchy | Percy Allen

British Dictionary definitions for kilo (1 of 3)

kilo¹

/ (ˈkiːləʊ) /

nounplural kilos

short for kilogram, kilometre

British Dictionary definitions for kilo (2 of 3)

kilo²

/ (ˈkiːləʊ) /

noun

communications a code word for the letter k

British Dictionary definitions for kilo- (3 of 3)

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

Origin of 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

Scientific 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.

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