centimetre

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from French centimètre; equivalent to centi- +‎ metre.

Pronunciation

  • (British) IPA(key): /ˈsɛn.tɪ.miː.tə/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (medicine, dated) IPA(key): /ˈsɑ̃.-/, /ˈsɒn.-/

Noun

centimetre (plural centimetres)

  1. (metrology) An SI unit of length equal to 10−2 metres. Symbol: cm
    Synonyms: cm,
    Holonyms: decimetre < metre < kilometre < megametre < gigametre < terametre < petametre
    Meronyms: picometre < nanometre < micrometre < millimetre
    • 2025 August, “The International System of Units (SI)”, in Bureau International des Poids et Mesures[1], archived from the original on 17 September 2025, page 147:
      It is not permissible to use abbreviations for unit symbols or unit names, such as sec (for either s or second), sq. mm (for either mm2 or square millimetre), cc (for either cm3 or cubic centimetre), or mps (for either m/s or metre per second).

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