Word
kilometre
Phoneticskilo·me·tre
US/ˌkɪˈɫɔˌmətɝ/
UK/kˈɪləmˌiːtɐ/
US spelling · kilometer, kilometers
Definition
n. a unit for measuring distance that is equal to 1,000 metres. You use it to talk about how far away a place is when you are driving or walking.
n. a metric unit of length equal to one thousand metres. Used as the standard unit for measuring geographical distances in most countries.
Examples
“The nearest petrol station is one kilometre away.”
“The marathon route takes runners through the city centre for the final kilometre of the race.”
“Although the map indicated the village was only a kilometre away, the steep and rocky terrain made the journey feel significantly longer to the exhausted hikers.”
Examples
simple
“The nearest petrol station is one kilometre away.”
contextual
“The marathon route takes runners through the city centre for the final kilometre of the race.”
complex
“Although the map indicated the village was only a kilometre away, the steep and rocky terrain made the journey feel significantly longer to the exhausted hikers.”
Usage
Commonly abbreviated as 'km'. In British English, the spelling is 'kilometre', while American English uses 'kilometer'.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰes- Proto-Indo-European *-lom Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰesliyoy Proto-Hellenic *kʰehliyoi Ancient Greek χίλιοι (khílioi)der. French kilo- Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-trom Proto-Hellenic *-tron Ancient Greek -τρον (-tron) Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron)der. Latin metrumbor. French mètre French kilomètrebor. English kilometre From French kilomètre, from Ancient Greek χίλιοι (khílioi, “thousand”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”); equivalent to kilo- + metre.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.