meter

English Online Dictionary. What means meter‎? What does meter mean?

English

Alternative forms

• metre (Commonwealth English for noun senses 2 and 3, rare for other senses)

Etymology

Senses 1.1, 2, and 3 were borrowed from French mètre and Latin metrum; see metre for more.

Sense 1.2 is a noun derived from mete, from Old English metan (“to measure, mark off”), possibly influencing the other meanings.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmitəɹ/, [ˈmiɾɚ]
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmiːtə/
• Rhymes: -iːtə(ɹ)

Noun

meter (countable and uncountable, plural meters)

1. A device that measures things.
   1. A parking meter or similar device for collecting payment.

   2. (dated) One who metes or measures.

2. (American spelling) Alternative form of metre
3. (obsolete) A poem.
4. (American spelling) A line above or below a hanging net, to which the net is attached in order to strengthen it.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

meter (third-person singular simple present meters, present participle metering, simple past and past participle metered)

1. To measure with a metering device.
2. To imprint a postage mark with a postage meter.
3. To regulate the flow of or to deliver in regulated amounts (usually of fluids but sometimes of other things such as anticipation or breath).

Translations

Anagrams

• -metre, -treme, Emert, metre, remet, retem

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin mittere.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈte(ɾ)/
• Rhymes: -e(ɾ)
• Syllabification: me‧ter

Verb

meter

1. to put

Conjugation

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Danish

Noun

meter c (singular definite meteren, plural indefinite meter)

1. a metre, or meter (US) (SI unit of measurement)

Declension

Derived terms

References

• “meter” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmeːtər/
• Hyphenation: me‧ter
• Rhymes: -eːtər

Etymology 1

From meten +‎ -er.

Noun

meter m (plural meters, diminutive metertje n)

1. meter (device that measures things or indicates a physical quantity)

   Ik heb een meter nodig om de stroom in dit circuit te meten. ― I need a meter to measure the current in this circuit.

   De meters in het laboratorium zijn zeer nauwkeurig. ― The meters in the laboratory are very precise.

   Kun je dat kleine metertje even doorgeven? ― Can you pass that small meter please?

2. measurer (person who measures something)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French mètre.

Noun

meter m (plural meters, diminutive metertje n)

1. meter, metre (unit of distance)

   De kamer is vijf meters breed. ― The room is five meters wide.

   Ze liep een afstand van tien meters in de race. ― She ran a distance of ten metres in the race.

   Dit kleine metertje touw is alles wat ik over heb. ― This small metre of rope is all I have left.

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: meter
• → Aukan: meiti
• → Caribbean Javanese: mèter
• → Indonesian: meter
• → Papiamentu: meter

Etymology 3

From Middle Dutch meter, from metrijn, from Latin matrīna.

Noun

meter f (plural meters, diminutive metertje n, masculine peter)

1. godmother

   Synonyms: peettante, petemoei

   Ze is de trotse meter van haar neefje. ― She is the proud godmother of her nephew.

   Mijn zus werd gevraagd om meter te zijn bij de doop. ― My sister was asked to be the godmother at the baptism.

   Elk kind in ons gezin heeft een meter en een peter. ― Every child in our family has a godmother and a godfather.

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese meter, from Latin mittō, mittēre (“to send, put”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to exchange, remove”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈteɾ/ [meˈt̪eɾ]
• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Hyphenation: me‧ter

Verb

meter (first-person singular present meto, first-person singular preterite metín, past participle metido)

1. (transitive) to put
2. (transitive) to insert
3. (transitive) to bring in
4. (pronominal) to meddle, interfere
5. (transitive) to deliver

   Meteulle unha patada. ― He delivered him a kick.

Conjugation

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “meter”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “meter”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “meter”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “meter”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɛ.tər]
• Hyphenation: mè‧têr

Etymology 1

• From Dutch meter, meten, from Middle Dutch mēten, from Old Dutch metan, from Proto-Germanic *metaną, from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure”).
• From Dutch meter, from French mètre, from Latin metrum, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- (“to measure”).

Doublet of metrum.

Noun

mètêr (plural meter-meter)

1. meter, a device that measures things.
2. meter, metre, the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).

Derived terms

Related terms

Etymology 2

From Dutch meter, from Middle Dutch meter, from metrijn, from Latin matrīna.

Noun

mètêr (plural meter-meter)

1. godmother.

Further reading

• “meter” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Kholosi

Etymology

From Sanskrit मूत्र (mūtrá).

Noun

meter ?

1. urine

References

• Eric Anonby, Hassan Mohebi Bahmani (2014) “Shipwrecked and Landlocked: Kholosi, an Indo-Aryan Language in South-west Iran”, in Cahier de Studia Iranica xx‎^[1], pages 13-36

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin mittere.

Verb

meter

1. to put, place

Conjugation

• Ladin conjugation varies from one region to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.

Ladino

Verb

meter

1. to put

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmeː.ter/, [ˈmeːt̪ɛr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈme.ter/, [ˈmɛːt̪er]

Verb

mēter

1. first-person singular present active subjunctive of mētor

Malay

Etymology

From English metre or meter, from French mètre, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mi.tə(r)]
• Rhymes: -tər, -ər
• Hyphenation: me‧ter

Noun

meter (Jawi spelling ميتر, plural meter-meter, informal 1st possessive meterku, 2nd possessive metermu, 3rd possessive meternya)

1. A meter:
   1. The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités); a metre or meter.

      lima meter ― five metres

   2. A device that is used to measure and record something (distance, quantity of something used, etc.).

      meter air ― water meter

Further reading

• “meter” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Mòcheno

Etymology

From French mètre, from Latin metrum (“a measure”), from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron).

Noun

meter m (plural meter)

1. meter (unit of measure)

References

• “meter” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

meter m (definite singular meteren, indefinite plural meter, definite plural meterne)

1. a metre, or meter (US) (SI unit of length)

Derived terms

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

meter m (definite singular meteren, indefinite plural meter, definite plural meterane or metrane)

1. a metre, or meter (US) (SI unit of length)

Derived terms

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• metter (pre-reform spelling)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese meter, from Latin mittere (“to send, to put”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to exchange, remove”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: me‧ter

Verb

meter (first-person singular present meto, first-person singular preterite meti, past participle metido)

1. (transitive) to put
2. (transitive) to insert
3. (reflexive) to meddle, interfere

4. (reflexive) to get into (to become involved in) [with em ‘something’]
5. (transitive, vulgar) to fuck, screw

Conjugation

Related terms

• cometer
• prometer

Further reading

• “meter”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “meter” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “meter”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “meter”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
• “meter”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmecer]

Noun

meter m inan

1. meter, metre (unit of length)

Further reading

• “meter”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

Slovene

Noun

meter m

1. meter, metre (unit of length)

Further reading

• “meter”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2025

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish meter, from Latin mittō (“to send”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *mey-th₂- (“to exchange, remove”). Cognate with English mess (sense 2) and also mission, message. Compare also French mettre, Friulian meti, Portuguese meter, and Italian mettere. The semantic shift from "send" to "put" probably occurred in Vulgar Latin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈteɾ/ [meˈt̪eɾ]
• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Syllabification: me‧ter

Verb

meter (first-person singular present meto, first-person singular preterite metí, past participle metido)

1. to put in, insert

   Synonym: poner

2. (sports) to score

   meter un gol ― to score a goal

3. to make (noise)
4. to cram, to stuff, to stick, to shove
5. (reflexive) to meddle, interfere, to get into

   Synonyms: inmiscuirse, meter la nariz

6. (reflexive) to get into (a small space)
8. (reflexive) to get into, to get in

   meterse en problemas ― to get in trouble.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “meter”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
• “meter”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010
• DiPerú | Diccionario de peruanismos en línea

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English meter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmeːtɛr/

Noun

meter c

1. a metre; the SI-unit
2. (music) Rhythm or measure in verse
3. a meter; a device that measures things.

Declension

Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from English meter.

Noun

meter

1. meter

Declension