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milli-

American  
  1. a combining form meaning “thousand” (millipede ): in the metric system, used in the names of units equal to one thousandth of the given base unit (millimeter ).


milli- British  

prefix

  1.  m.  denoting 10 –3

    millimetre

"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

milli– Scientific  
  1. A prefix that means “one thousandth,” as in millimeter, one thousandth of a meter.


Usage

What does milli- mean? Milli- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “thousand.” In names of units of measure, particularly in the metric system, milli- means "one thousandth." It is often used in scientific and technical terms.Milli- comes from the Latin mille, meaning “thousand.” The Greek translation of mille is chī́lioi, “a thousand,” which is the source of English terms such as kilogram and kilometer. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.

Etymology

Origin of milli-

< French < Latin, combining form of mille thousand

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The song has enjoyed a long life in popular culture — it’s been sampled by rappers like Foxy Brown, BigXThaPlug and Flo Milli, and frequently appeared on soundtracks for TV shows and films like “Friends.”

From Los Angeles Times

As Dr. Julien Milli, astronomer at the University Grenoble Alpes and co-author of the study, notes: "Finding any direct clues about the small bodies in a distant planetary system from images seems downright impossible. The other indirect methods used to detect exoplanets are no help, either."

From Science Daily

The academy said more than 23,000 recordings were submitted for consideration this year across 95 categories, including one for audio book in which a collection of meditations by the Dalai Lama is up against Fab Morvan’s account of his days in Milli Vanilli.

From Los Angeles Times

Elsewhere, a collection of meditations by the Dalai Lama is up against the autobiography of Milli Vanilli's Fab Morvan in the shortlist for best audiobook.

From BBC

Ice Boonyiamtanad flew to Head in the Clouds from Boston with her boyfriend to catch MILLI’s set Sunday evening at the 88rising main stage.

From Los Angeles Times