metric system

[ me-trik- sis-tuhm ]

/ ˈmɛ trɪk ˌsɪs təm /

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noun

a decimal system of weights and measures, based on the meter (39.37 inches) for length and the gram (15.432 grains) for mass or weight, first adopted in France in the 17th century, now universally used in science, and officially used for all purposes in most countries. Derived units are the liter (0.908 U.S. dry quart, or 1.0567 U.S. liquid quart) for capacity, being the volume of 1,000 grams of water under specified conditions; the are (119.6 square yards) for area, being the area of a square 10 meters on a side; and the stere (35.315 cubic feet) for volume, being the volume of a cube 1 meter on a side, the term “stere,” however, usually being used only in measuring firewood. Names for units larger and smaller than these are formed from the above names by the use of the following prefixes: kilo-, 1,000; hecto-, 100; deka-, 10; deci-, 0.1; centi-, 0.01; milli-, 0.001. To these are often added: tera-, one trillion; giga-, one billion; mega-, one million. With the addition of basic physical units it is now officially known by the French name Le Système International d'Unités (abbreviation SI ) or in English as the International System of Units.

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Origin of metric system

First recorded in 1860–65

Words nearby metric system

metricize, metric madness, metric martyr, metrics, metric space, metric system, metric ton, metric topology, metridium, metrification, metrifonate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use metric system in a sentence

Passing the keyword through a difficulty metric system would probably indicate it’s a hard endeavor, and it would be a waste of resources to compete there now.
5 common pitfalls to avoid so you maximize your keyword strategy’s business impact|SEOmonitor|September 8, 2021|Search Engine Land
By the mid-20th century, the metric system dominated the globe.
Melting Butter, Poisonous Mushrooms and the Strange History of the Invention of the Thermometer|Phil Jaekl|June 1, 2021|Time
Its oddness was highlighted only after the world began to adopt the metric system.
Melting Butter, Poisonous Mushrooms and the Strange History of the Invention of the Thermometer|Phil Jaekl|June 1, 2021|Time
“As we’ve grown as a newsroom and the breadth and depth of our reporting, sometimes that clashes with a rigid metric system,” said Rebecca Ungarino, a senior finance reporter and an organizing committee member of the Insider Union.
‘Best, imperfect solution’: Insider’s metrics for measuring success are good for business, but leave reporters feeling frustrated and unionized|Kayleigh Barber|April 26, 2021|Digiday

A 1921 prediction that the United States would be forced to adopt the metric system for commercial transactions is still awaiting fulfillment.
We’ve covered science for 100 years. Here’s how it has — and hasn’t — changed|Tom Siegfried|April 2, 2021|Science News
Convention of May 20, 1875, regarding the unification and improvement of the metric system.
Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, Volume XII|Various
The French themselves, as has been pointed out on more than one occasion, find the metric system too irksome, and they evade it.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, June 1899|Various
So far as the Chair is informed, it would not be in order at this Conference to discuss a question of metric system.
International Conference Held at Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884.|Various
The work also contains copious historical notices on the metric system and on the initial meridian.
International Conference Held at Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884.|Various
It will readily be seen that with the metric system it is possible to measure accurately the thousandth part of an inch.
Practical Instruction for Detectives|Emmerson W. Manning

British Dictionary definitions for metric system

metric system

noun

any decimal system of units based on the metre. For scientific purposes the Système International d'Unités (SI units) is used

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 metric system

metric system

A decimal system of weights and measures based on the meter as a unit of length, the kilogram as a unit of mass, and the liter as a unit of volume. Compare US Customary System. See Table at measurement.

Cultural definitions for metric system

metric system

A system of measurement in which the basic units are the meter, the second, and the kilogram. In this system, the ratios between units of measurement are multiples of ten. For example, a kilogram is a thousand grams, and a centimeter is one-hundredth of a meter. Virtually all countries of the world, except the United States, use the metric system. Among scientists, the metric system is called SI — an abbreviation for Système internationale, which is French for “International System.”