*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of metre

From French mètre, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”). Doublet of meter, metron, and mether.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

Alternative spelling of meter.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French mètre, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”). Doublet of meter, metron, and mether.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "mètre",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "French mètre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "μέτρον",
        "4": "",
        "5": "measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "meter",
        "3": "metron",
        "4": "mether"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of meter, metron, and mether"
    }
  ],
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      "mètre#French"
    ],
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      "μέτρον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "meter",
      "meter#English"
    ],
    [
      "metron",
      "metron#English"
    ],
    [
      "mether",
      "mether#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "lexical": [
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        "Alternative spelling of meter."
      ],
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299 792 458 seconds. The metre is equal to 39+⁴⁷⁄₁₂₇ (approximately 39.37) imperial inches.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French mètre, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”). Doublet of meter, metron, and mether.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "mètre",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "French mètre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "μέτρον",
        "4": "",
        "5": "measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "meter",
        "3": "metron",
        "4": "mether"
      },
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    }
  ],
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      "mètre",
      "mètre#French"
    ],
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      "μέτρον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "meter",
      "meter#English"
    ],
    [
      "metron",
      "metron#English"
    ],
    [
      "mether",
      "mether#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Tok Pisin",
      "lang_code": "tpi",
      "word": "mita"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Burmese",
      "lang_code": "my",
      "word": "မီတာ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mita"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "lang_code": "zh",
      "word": "米突",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mǐtū, mǐtú"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "メーター",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mētā"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "미터",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "miteo"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "메터",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "meteo"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Māori",
      "lang_code": "mi",
      "word": "mita",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Malay",
      "lang_code": "ms",
      "word": "meter",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Sinhalese",
      "lang_code": "si",
      "word": "මීටර්",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mīṭar"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Swahili",
      "lang_code": "sw",
      "word": "mita",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tamil",
      "lang_code": "ta",
      "word": "மீட்டர்",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mīṭṭar"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Yoruba",
      "lang_code": "yo",
      "word": "mítà",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299 792 458 seconds. The metre is equal to 39+⁴⁷⁄₁₂₇ (approximately 39.37) imperial inches."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To put into metrical form.

noun

The rhythm or measure in language (especially verse). · The rhythm or measure in musical composition.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Old English, from Latin metrum, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "metrum"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin metrum"
    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”)"
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    ]
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for metre →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWV0cmU