kilo-

¹ American  

1. 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 ).

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kilo ² American  

[kee-loh, kil-oh] / ˈki loʊ, ˈkɪl oʊ /

noun

plural

kilos

1. kilogram.

2. kilometer.

3. (a word used in communications to represent the letterK. )

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kilo ¹ British  

/ ˈkiːləʊ /

noun

1. communications a code word for the letter k

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kilo ² British  

/ ˈkiːləʊ /

noun

1. short for kilogram kilometre

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kilo- ³ British  

prefix

1.  k.  denoting 10³ (1000)

   kilometre

2. (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

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kilo– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means:

2. One thousand, as in kilowatt, one thousand watts.

3. 2 ¹⁰ (that is, 1,024), which is the power of 2 closest to 1,000, as in kilobyte.

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Usage

What does kilo- mean? Kilo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “thousand.” It is often used in units of measure.Kilo- comes from Greek chī́lioi, meaning “a thousand.” The Latin translation of chī́lioi is mille, “a thousand,” which is the source of English terms such as millennium and millipede. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.

Etymology

Origin of kilo-¹

< French, representing Greek chī́lioi a thousand

Origin of kilo¹

First recorded in 1865–70; shortened form

Example Sentences

Mr Garrick-Maidment says that, kilo for kilo, seahorses are currently worth as much as silver and warned further price rises could mean they are fished to extinction.

From BBC

"You feel that you have 5,000 kilos on your chest. We don't have night. We don't have day. We have nothing," she said.

From BBC

But a few stubborn kilos just wouldn't budge.

From BBC

A kilo of chicken, for example, costs about four times the official monthly minimum wage.

From BBC

“Just received news that the bad guys pulled in the month of April a little over 17 kilos of gold,” Sánchez wrote Cooper.

From Los Angeles Times