Home ❯All Definitions ❯Unit ❯Meter (m) Unit Definition
The meter otherwise referred to internationally as the metre is the base unit of length & distance in the International System of Units (SI). The meter is represented by the symbol m.
The meter was originally defined in 1791 by the French National Assembly as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole along a great circle. Therefore the Earth's circumference is approximately 40000 kilometers (km).
In 1799, the meter was redefined in terms of a prototype meter bar. The actual bar used was changed in 1889. In 1960, the meter was redefined in terms of a certain number of wavelengths of a certain emission line of krypton-86.
The current definition was adopted in 1983 and modified slightly in 2002 to clarify that the meter is a measure of proper length. From 1983 until 2019, the meter was formally defined as the length of the path travelled by light in a vacuum in 1⁄299792458 of a second (s). After the 2019 redefinition of the SI base units, this definition was rephrased to include the definition of a second in terms of the caesium frequency ΔνCs.
SI Multiples
A table of various length & distance meter units derived from SI multiples:
Submultiples | Multiples | ||||||
Scientific Notation | Value | Prefix | Name | Scientific Notation | Value | Prefix | Name |
10-1 m | 0.1 m | Deci (d) | Decimeter (dm) | 101 m | 10 m | Deca (da) | Decameter (dam) |
10-2 m | 0.01 m | Centi (c) | Centimeter (cm) | 102 m | 100 m | Hecto (h) | Hectometer (hm) |
10-3 m | 0.001 m | Milli (m) | Millimeter (mm) | 103 m | 1000 m | Kilo (k) | Kilometer (km) |
10-6 m | 0.000001 m | Micro (µ) | Micrometer (µm) | 106 m | 1000000 m | Mega (M) | Megameter (Mm) |
10-9 m | 0.000000001 m | Nano (n) | Nanometer (nm) | 109 m | 1000000000 m | Giga (G) | Gigameter (Gm) |
10-12 m | 0.000000000001 m | Pico (p) | Picometer (pm) | 1012 m | 1000000000000 m | Tera (T) | Terameter (Tm) |
10-15 m | 0.000000000000001 m | Femto (f) | Femtometer (fm) | 1015 m | 1000000000000000 m | Peta (P) | Petameter (Pm) |
10-18 m | 0.000000000000000001 m | Atto (a) | Attometer (am) | 1018 m | 1000000000000000000 m | Exa (E) | Exameter (Em) |
10-21 m | 0.000000000000000000001 m | Zepto (z) | Zeptometer (zm) | 1021 m | 1000000000000000000000 m | Zetta (Z) | Zettameter (Zm) |
10-24 m | 0.000000000000000000000001 m | Yocto (y) | Yoctometer (ym) | 1024 m | 1000000000000000000000000 m | Yotta (Y) | Yottameter (Ym) |
10-27 m | 0.000000000000000000000000001 m | Ronto (r) | Rontometer (rm) | 1027 m | 1000000000000000000000000000 m | Ronna (R) | Ronnameter (Rm) |
10-30 m | 0.000000000000000000000000000001 m | Quecto (q) | Quectometer (qm) | 1030 m | 1000000000000000000000000000000 m | Quetta (Q) | Quettameter (Qm) |
Other Length & Distance Unit Definitions
Agate Typographical (agate)
Alen Danish (alen)
Alen Scandinavia (alen)
Alen Swedish (alen)
Angstrom (Å)
Arms-Length (arms-length)
Arpent Canada (arpent)
Arpent France (arpent)
Arsheen Russia (арши́н)
Arshin Iran (arshin)
Arshin Iraq (arshin)
Astronomical Unit (au)
- Attometer (am)
Bamboo (bamboo)
Barleycorn (barleycorn)
Beard-Second (beard-second)
Bee Space (bee space)
Bicron (μμ)
Block East USA (block-east-usa)
Block Midwest USA (block-midwest-usa)
Block South & West USA (block-south-west)
Bohr (a0)
Braccio Italy (braccio)
Braza Argentina (braza)
Braza Spain (braza)
Braza Texas (braza)
Button Measure (button-measure)
Cable British (cable)
Cable USA (cable)
Caliber (caliber)
Canna (canna)
Cape Foot (cf)
Cape Inch (ci)
Cape Rood (cr)
- Centimeter (cm)
Centímetro (cm)
Ch'ih China (市尺)
Chain Gunter & Survey (chain)
Chain Ramsden & Engineer (chain)
Chinese Foot (市尺)
Chinese Inch (市寸)
Chinese Mile (市里)
Chinese Yard (市丈)
City Block East USA (city-block-east-usa)
City Block Midwest USA (city-block-midwest-usa)
City Block South & West USA (city-block-south-west-usa)
Click Military USA (click)
Cuadra (cuadra)
Cuadra Argentina (cuadra)
Cubit Egyptian (cubit)
Cubit English (cubit)
Cubit Roman (cubit)
Cubit Royal Egyptian (cubit)
Cuerda (cuerda)
- Decameter (dam)
- Decimeter (dm)
- Dekameter (dam)
Didot Point (didot-point)
Digit (digit)
Diraa Egypt (diraa)
Dong Vietnam (dong)
Douzième Print (douzième)
Douzième Watchmaking (douzième)
Dra Iraq (dra)
Dra Russia (dra)
El Dutch (el)
Ell English (ell)
Ell Scotland (ell)
Elle Germany (elle)
Elle Vienna (elle)
Em (em)
Estadio Portugal (estadio)
Estadio Spain (estadio)
- Exameter (Em)
Faden Austria (faden)
Faden Switzerland (faden)
Fall English (fall)
Fall Scotland (fall)
Fathom (fath)
Fathom Ancient (fath)
Faust Hungary (faust)
- Femtometer (fm)
Fermi (fm)
Finger (finger)
Fingerbreadth (fingerbreadth)
Fist (fist)
Fod (fod)
Foot (ft)
Foot Egypt (ft)
Foot France (ft)
Foot Iraq (ft)
Foot Netherlands (ft)
Foot Pre-1963 Canada (ft)
Foot Rome (ft)
Foot Survey (ft)
Football Field Canada (football-field-canada)
Football Field Complete USA (football-field-complete-usa)
Football Field USA (football-field-usa)
Furlong International (fur)
Furlong Survey (fur)
Fuss German (fuss)
Gigalight Year (Gly)
- Gigameter (Gm)
Gigaparsec (Gpc)
Gnat's Eye (gnats-eye)
Goad (goad)
Gry (gry)
Hair's Breadth (hairs-breadth)
Hand Non-Equine (hand-non-equine)
Handbreadth (handbreadth)
Hat Cambodia (hat)
- Hectometer (hm)
Heer (heer)
Hubble (hubble)
Hvat Croatia (hvat)
Inch (in)
Ken Japan (ken)
Kerat (kerat)
Kilofoot (kft)
- Kilometer (km)
Kiloparsec (kpc)
Kiloyard (kyd)
Kind (kind)
Klafter Austria (klafter)
Klafter Switzerland (klafter)
Klick (klick)
Kyu (kyu)
Lap Competition (lap)
Lap Old (lap)
Lap Olympic Pool (lap)
League Ancient Celtic (league)
League Nautical (league)
League Nautical UK (league)
League Statute USA (league)
League UK (league)
Leap (leap)
Legoa (legoa)
Legua (legua)
Legua Post-1568 Spanish (legua)
Legua Pre-1568 Spanish (legua)
Legua Texas (legua)
Li Ancient China (釐,T,厘,S)
Li Imperial China (釐,T,厘,S)
Li Modern China (釐,T,厘,S)
Lieue France (lieue)
Lieue Metric France (lieue)
Lieue Nautical France (lieue)
Light Day (ld)
Light Hour (lh)
Light Minute (lmin)
Light Month (lm)
Light Second (ls)
Light Week (lwk)
Light Year (ly)
Ligne France (ligne)
Ligne Swiss (ligne)
Line (li)
Line Small (li)
Linear Foot (lft)
Link Gunter & Survey (link)
Link Ramden & Engineer (link)
Lug (lug)
Lug Great (lug)
Marathon (marathon)
Mark Twain (mark-twain)
Megalight Year (Mly)
- Megameter (Mm)
Megaparsec (Mpc)
Meile Austria (meile)
Meile Geographische (meile)
Meile North Germany (meile)
- Meter (m)
Metric Mile (metric-mile)
Metric Mile High School (metric-mile)
Metro (metro)
Microinch (μin)
- Micrometer (μm)
Micromicron (μμm)
Micron (μm)
Miglio (miglio)
Miil Mijl Ancient Sweden (miil-mijl)
Miil Mijl Danish (miil-mijl)
Miil Mijl Denmark (miil-mijl)
Mil (mil)
Mil Sweden (mil)
Mile (mi)
Mile Ancient Britain (mi)
Mile Ancient Roman (mi)
Mile International (mi)
Mile Irish (mi)
Mile Nautical & International (mi)
Mile Nautical UK (mi)
Mile Nautical US (mi)
Mile Scottish (mi)
Mile Statute (mi)
Mile Statute International (mi)
Mile Statute US (mi)
Mile Survey (mi)
Milha Portuguese (milha)
Military Pace (military-pace)
Military Pace Double Time (military-pace)
Milla Spanish (milla)
Mille French (mille)
Milliare Rome (milliare)
- Millimeter (mm)
Millimicron (mμm)
Milímetro (milímetro)
Mkono Africa (mkono)
Moot India (moot)
Myriameter (mym)
Nail (nail)
- Nanometer (nm)
Nanon (nanon)
Pace Great (pace)
Pace Roman (pace)
Palm Britain & Roman Minor (palm)
Palm Dutch (palm)
Palm US & Roman Major (palm)
Palmo Portuguese (palmo)
Palmo Spanish (palmo)
Palmo Texas (palmo)
Parasang (parasang)
Paris Foot (pied du roi)
Parsec (pc)
Pe Portuguese (pe)
Pearl (pearl)
Perch (perch)
Perch Ireland (perch)
Pertica (pertica)
Pes (pes)
- Petameter (Pm)
Pica (pica)
- Picometer (pm)
Pie Argentina (pie)
Pie Italian (pie)
Pie Spanish (pie)
Pie Texas (pie)
Pied Du Roi (paris foot)
Pik (pik)
Pike Greece (pike)
Point Adobe (pt)
Point Britain & US (pt)
Point Didot (pt)
Point TeX (pt)
Pole (pole)
Polegada Portuguese (polegada)
Pouce (pouce)
Pu China (pu)
Pulgada (pulgada)
Pygme Greece (pygme)
Q (q)
Quadrant (quadrant)
Quarter (quarter)
Quarter Cloth (quarter)
Quarter Print (quarter)
- Quectometer (qm)
- Quettameter (Qm)
Range (range)
Reed Israel (reed)
Ri Japan (ri)
Ridge (ridge)
River Egypt (itrw)
Rod International (ro)
Rod Survey (ro)
Roede (roede)
- Ronnameter (Rm)
- Rontometer (rm)
Rood (ro)
Rope (rope)
Royal Foot (pied du roi)
Rute Germany (rute)
Sadzhen (sadzhen)
Sagene (sagene)
Scots Foot (fit)
Scots Mile (scots-mile)
Seemeile (seemeile)
Shackle (shackle)
Shaftment (shaftment)
Shaftment Ancient (shaftment)
Shaku (shaku)
Siriometer (siriometer)
Smoot (smoot)
Span (span)
Spat (spat)
Stadium (stadium)
Step (step)
Stick (stick)
Story (story)
Stride Great (stride)
Stride Roman (stride)
T'Sun (t'sun)
Tenthmeter (A)
- Terameter (Tm)
Thou (mil)
Toise (T)
Township (township)
Tu (tu)
Twain (twain)
Twip (twip)
U (U)
Vara California (vara)
Vara Mexico (vara)
Vara Portuguese (vara)
Vara South America (vara)
Vara Spanish (vara)
Vara Texas (vara)
Verge (verge)
Vershok (vershok)
Verst (верста)
Wah Thailand (ว.)
Werst (werst)
X Unit (xu)
Yard (yd)
- Yoctometer (ym)
- Yottameter (Ym)
- Zeptometer (zm)
- Zettameter (Zm)
Zoll Germany (zoll)
Zoll Switzerland (zoll)
Convert to Another Length & Distance Unit
Related Definitions
- International System of Units (SI)
- Kilometer (km)
- Seconds (s)
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Sources
“Metre.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre.
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