nanometer

American  

[nan-uh-mee-ter, ney-nuh-] / ˈnæn əˌmi tər, ˈneɪ nə- /

noun

1. one billionth of a meter. nm

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nanometer Scientific  

/ năn′ə-mē′tər /

1. One billionth (10 ^{- 9}) of a meter.

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Etymology

Origin of nanometer

First recorded in 1960–65; nano- + meter ¹

Compare meaning

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

• micron vs. nanometer

Example Sentences

The study relied heavily on advanced imaging tools developed at Janelia, including iPALM, an interferometric technique capable of resolving structures at the nanometer scale.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

For comparison, a nanometer is one billionth of a meter, far smaller than anything visible to the human eye.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

In Arizona, it makes four and five nanometer chips; two nanometer chips won’t be made there till 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

To support that claim, the company provided The Wall Street Journal with images of chip designs printed at nanometer scale.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

The intense beams will allow researchers to image samples at nanometer scales and take snapshots of chemical reactions over nanosecond time frames.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 27, 2024