meter
1 Americannoun
noun
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Music.
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the rhythmic element as measured by division into parts of equal time value.
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the unit of measurement, in terms of number of beats, adopted for a given piece of music.
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Prosody.
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poetic measure; arrangement of words in regularly measured, patterned, or rhythmic lines or verses.
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a particular form of such arrangement, depending on either the kind or the number of feet constituting the verse or both rhythmic kind and number of feet (usually used in combination).
pentameter; dactylic meter; iambic trimeter.
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noun
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an instrument for measuring, especially one that automatically measures and records the quantity of something, as of gas, water, miles, or time, when it is activated.
verb (used with object)
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to measure by means of a meter.
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to process (mail) by means of a postage meter.
noun
noun
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any device that measures and records the quantity of a substance, such as gas, that has passed through it during a specified period
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any device that measures and sometimes records an electrical or magnetic quantity, such as current, voltage, etc
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See parking meter
verb
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to measure (a rate of flow) with a meter
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to print with stamps by means of a postage meter
noun
combining form
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indicating an instrument for measuring
barometer
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prosody indicating a verse having a specified number of feet
pentameter
Usage
What does -meter mean? The combining form -meter is used like a suffix meaning “measure” or "measuring instrument." It is often used in scientific and technical terms.The form -meter comes from Greek métron, meaning “measure.” Find out how métron is also the source of diameter, isometric, and metronome at our entries for these words.What are variants of -meter?While -meter doesn't have any variants, it's related to the forms -metric, -metrics, and -metry.. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for these forms.
Other Word Forms
- unmetered adjective
Etymology
Origin of meter1
First recorded in 1790–1800; from French mètre, from Greek métron “measure”
Origin of meter2
First recorded before 900; Middle English metir, metur, Old English meter, from Latin metrum “poetic rhythm or meter, verse,” from Greek métron “measure”; replacing Middle English metre, from Middle French metre, from Latin as above
Origin of meter3
First recorded in 1805–15; mete 1, -er 1
Origin of -meter4
< New Latin -metrum < Greek métron measure
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.
It means the annual gas bill of a typical household in the greater Belfast and west gas network areas with a credit meter will reduce by £80 a year.
From BBC
After a year of testing at night, the researchers found that the compact device could generate at least 400 milliwatts of mechanical power per square meter.
From Science Daily
A juvenile about the size of a sheep could not reach leaves 10 meters above the ground the way an adult could.
From Science Daily
The modern facility now sits several hundred meters from the original site.
From Barron's
Researchers estimate the animal measured about three meters long and likely fed on fish and squid.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
