litre

/ ˈliːtə /

noun

1. one cubic decimetre

2. (formerly) the volume occupied by 1 kilogram of pure water at 4°C and 760 millimetres of mercury. This is equivalent to 1.000 028 cubic decimetres or about 1.76 pints

Word History and Origins

Origin of litre¹

C19: from French, from Medieval Latin litra, from Greek: a unit of weight

Example Sentences

The jury heard from the prosecutor that doorbell footage from the night of the fire had showed Mr Sunderland, of Calton Street in Keighley, carrying a canister containing seven litres of petrol.

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He probably drank in the region of six to seven litres of water a couple of days before and then he has tried to dry out and release the fluids.

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Each tree can draw up to seven litres of water a day through its deep roots, drying out the soil and crippling agriculture.

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In January this year, a truck carrying about 60,000 litres of petrol overturned near Suleja, also in Niger state, killing at least 86 people and injuring nearly 70 others.

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Until 2019, the kilogram was defined as the mass of one litre of water.

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