liter

American  

[lee-ter] / ˈli tər /

especially British, litre

noun

1. a unit of capacity redefined in 1964 by a reduction of 28 parts in a million to be exactly equal to one cubic decimeter. It is equivalent to 1.0567 U.S. liquid quarts and is equal to the volume of one kilogram of distilled water at 4°C. l

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liter British  

/ ˈliːtə /

noun

1. the US spelling of litre

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liter Scientific  

/ lē′tər /

1. The basic unit of liquid volume or capacity in the metric system, equal to 1.06 quart or 2.12 pints.

2. See Table at measurement

3. The basic unit of dry volume or capacity in the metric system, equal to 0.90 quart or 1.82 pint.

4. See Table at measurement

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Etymology

Origin of liter

1800–10; < French litre, back formation from litron an old measure of capacity, derivative (with -on noun suffix) of Medieval Latin litra < Greek lítra pound

Compare meaning

How does liter compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gallon vs. liter
• liter vs. milliliter
• pint vs. liter

Explanation

A liter is a liquid unit of measurement. Drinking a liter of water everyday is good for you, though drinking a liter of diet soda probably isn't. A liter is a metric unit that measures volume. You can also spell the word litre, which is actually the most common spelling outside of the United States. Liters most often measure liquids — a large bottle of Coke or Pepsi, for example, typically comes in a two liter size. The French word litre comes from the obsolete litron, which once measured amounts of grain, with its Greek root litra, or "pound."

Example Sentences

The “Night School” producer and star left the scene of the crash after he exited the car, which had recently undergone some snazzy alterations, including the addition of a 6.4 Liter Hemi V-8 supercharged engine.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2019

Black made a right turn at about 12:45 a.m. on to Mulholland Highway in the Barracuda that had recently been modified and modernized and had a 6.4 Liter Hemi V-8 supercharged engine, the report said.

From Fox News • Oct. 11, 2019

We recommend the inexpensive Hamilton Beach 40880 Stainless Steel 1.7 Liter Electric Kettle for anyone who doesn’t want to break the bank but still wants a decent kettle.

From Slate • Oct. 26, 2018

In our tests, the Hamilton Beach 40996 Programmable 1.7 Liter Kettle was inaccurate.

From Slate • Oct. 26, 2018

Liter on Mrs. Trace brought him a plate full of old-people food: vegetable stuff with rice and the combread right on top.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison