different between inch vs millimeter

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?nt?/
• Rhymes: -?nt?

Etymology 1

From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynce, borrowed from Latin uncia (“twelfth part”). Doublet of ounce.

Noun

inch (plural inches)

1. A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
2. (meteorology) The amount of water which would cover a surface to the depth of an inch, used as a measurement of rainfall.
3. The amount of an alcoholic beverage which would fill a glass or bottle to the depth of an inch.
4. (figuratively) A very short distance.

   "Don't move an inch!"

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ??? (inchi)
• ? Korean: ?? (inchi)

Translations

Verb

inch (third-person singular simple present inches, present participle inching, simple past and past participle inched)

1. (intransitive, followed by a preposition) To advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction).

   Fearful of falling, he inched along the window ledge.

   • 1957, J. D. Salinger, "Zooey", in, 1961, Franny and Zooey:

     The window blind had been lowered — Zooey had done all his bathtub reading by the light from the three-bulb overhead fixture—but a fraction of morning light inched under the blind and onto the title page of the manuscript.
2. To drive by inches, or small degrees.
   • 1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero, a Tragedy

     He gets too far into the soldier's grace / And inches out my master.

3. To deal out by inches; to give sparingly.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• thou
• mil

Etymology 2

From Scottish Gaelic innis

Noun

inch (plural inches)

1. (Scotland) A small island

Usage notes

• Found especially in the names of small Scottish islands, e.g. Inchcolm, Inchkeith.

Anagrams

• Ch'in, Chin, chin, ichn-

Middle English

Noun

inch

1. Alternative form of ynche

English

Alternative forms

• millimetre (UK)
• millimètre (rare)

Etymology

From French millimètre, as if milli- +? meter.

Pronunciation

Noun

millimeter (plural millimeters)

1. (American spelling) An SI/MKS unit of measure, the length of 1/1000 of a meter. Symbol: mm

Translations

Further reading

• millimeter at OneLook Dictionary Search
• millimeter, millimetre at Google Ngram Viewer

Anagrams

• millimetre, millimètre

Danish

Etymology

milli- +? meter

Noun

millimeter c (singular definite millimeteren, plural indefinite millimeter)

1. millimetre, or millimeter (US) (SI unit of length)

Declension

References

• “millimeter” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

milli- +? meter

Pronunciation

Noun

millimeter

1. millimeter

Further reading

• “millimeter” in Van Dale Onlinewoordenboek, Van Dale Lexicografie, 2007.

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

millimeter m (definite singular millimeteren, indefinite plural millimeter, definite plural millimeterne)

1. a millimetre, or millimeter (US) (SI unit of length)

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

millimeter m (definite singular millimeteren, indefinite plural millimeter, definite plural millimeterane or millimetrane)

1. a millimetre, or millimeter (US) (SI unit of length)

Swedish

Etymology

milli- +? meter

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?l??me?t?r/, /?m?l?me?t?r/

Noun

millimeter c

1. a millimetre

Usage notes

Indefinite form plural could also be millimetrar/millimetrars

Declension

Derived terms

• ha millimetrarna på sin sida

Further reading

• millimeter in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)