Kilometer

How to spell kilometer

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce kilometer

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does kilometer mean?

1. nounA metric unit of length equal to one thousand metres, used to measure distance.

Kilometer in a sentence

• The gym is just one kilometer from her apartment, so she walks there daily.

• The marathon route covered every kilometer of the coastal road.

Where does kilometer come from?

Language of origin: French

This word comes from the French kilomètre, a deliberately coined scientific term from the late eighteenth century when France was building the metric system. Its first element, kilo-, was taken from the Greek khilioi, meaning 'thousand', while the second element traces to the Greek metron, meaning 'a measure'. So the word literally means 'a thousand measures', that is, one thousand metres. English adopted it in the early nineteenth century, and American usage settled on the spelling 'kilometer', mirroring the American 'meter', whereas British and Canadian writers kept the French-flavoured 'kilometre'. The same kilo- prefix turns up in everyday relatives such as 'kilogram' and 'kilowatt', and that consistent 'thousand' sense is a handy anchor for remembering the spelling.

How the word is built

• kilo- (from Greek khilioi: thousand)
• meter (from Greek metron: measure)

British and American spelling

Kilometer is the American spelling. British English spells it kilometre.