Meter in different languages

Meter in Different Languages

Discover 'Meter' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'meter' holds a significant place in our daily lives, often associated with measures and standards. It is a fundamental unit in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to approximately 3.28 feet. But beyond its scientific importance, 'meter' has fascinating cultural implications.

In poetry, a meter is a rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. This literary device has been instrumental in shaping many of the world's most cherished poems and songs. For instance, the English language knows iambic pentameter, a pattern of five 'da-DUM' syllables per line, as seen in Shakespeare's sonnets.

Given its wide-ranging significance, one might wonder, 'How is the word 'meter' translated in different languages?' Well, let's find out!

Meter


Meter in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansmeter
The word "meter" in Afrikaans can also refer to a musical rhythm or a poetic foot.
Amharicሜትር
Hausamita
In Hausa, "mita" also means "measure" or "measurement."
Igbomita
The Igbo word 'mita' has an alternate meaning of 'to measure' or 'to assess', reflecting the word's etymological root in the concept of measurement.
Malagasymetatra
The word "metatra" in Malagasy also means "to measure" or "to count".
Nyanja (Chichewa)mita
The Nyanja word "mita" can also refer to a "measuring tape" or a "gauge".
Shonamita
In Shona, the word "mita" does not mean "meter", it means "a unit used to measure distance."
Somalimitir
The Somali word "mitir" originates from the Arabic word "mithr", meaning "measure" or "dimension".
Sesothometara
"Metara" in Sesotho can also refer to a "gauge" or "measuring device".
Swahilimita
The word "mita" in Swahili can also refer to a type of traditional dance or a unit of measurement for land.
Xhosaimitha
Imita also refers to a traditional beaded necklace for women.
Yorubamita
Yoruba word 'mita' also means 'a long string of beads,' 'a unit of measurement of 12 inches,' '30 cowries,' 'a string of 120 cowries' and 'a piece of cloth of 12 yards' (also called 'ita')
Zuluimitha
The Zulu word "imitha" comes from the Proto-Bantu root "-mita", meaning "to measure".
Bambaramɛtɛrɛ ye
Ewemita
Kinyarwandametero
Lingalamɛtrɛ moko
Lugandamita
Sepedimitha ya
Twi (Akan)mita

Meter in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicمتر
The Arabic word "متر" can also refer to a "poem" or "verse".
Hebrewמטר
The word "מטר" can also refer to rainfall, a derivative of its original meaning of "measure out"
Pashtoميټر
In Pashto, the word "ميټر" can also refer to a measure of land area equivalent to 40 m².
Arabicمتر
The Arabic word "متر" can also refer to a "poem" or "verse".

Meter in Western European Languages

Albanianmetër
The word "metër" in Albanian comes from the Greek "μέτρον" (métron) meaning "measurement" and is related to the words "measure" and "mathematics".
Basquemetro
Basque "metro" also refers to underground railway and a square measure used in Spain.
Catalanmetre
El mot «metre» deriva del grec «μέτρον», que significa «mesura».
Croatianmetar
The word 'metar' also refers to a metal measuring rod used in surveying.
Danishmåler
The word "måler" can also refer to a unit of measurement used for textiles, equal to 1/10 of a yard.
Dutchmeter
The word "meter" in Dutch can also refer to a poetic form with a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme, similar to the English term "meter".
Englishmeter
In French, "mètre" is a unit of measurement while in English it is a device for measuring consumption of electricity or water.
Frenchmètre
The French word «mètre» originated from the Greek «metron» (μέτρον) meaning «measurement».
Frisianmeter
The Frisian word "meter" can also mean "measurement" or "gauge"
Galicianmetro
In Galician, "metro" can also refer to a "map" or a "floor plan".
Germanmeter
The word "Meter" can also refer to rhythm or cadence in German, especially in the context of poetry or music.
Icelandicmetra
In Icelandic, "metra" can also refer to a large container or a quantity of a liquid.
Irishméadar
The Irish word "méadar" (meter) derives from the Greek word "metron" (measure), and can also refer to a "measuring device" or a "regular rhythm or verse pattern".
Italianmetro
In Italian, "metro" can also refer to a subway system, with its name deriving from the French word "métro" for "underground railway".
Luxembourgishmeter
The word "Meter" ("meter") in Luxembourgish can also refer to a godmother or a godson.
Maltesemetru
"Metru" also means "poet" in Maltese, probably from the Italian "metro".
Norwegianmåler
In Norwegian, “måler” has dual meanings, referring both to units of measurement and to the person who measures.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)metro
In Portuguese, "metro" can also refer to a system of measurement or a unit of length, equivalent to a thousand meters.
Scots Gaelicmeatair
The word "meatair" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "measure" or "limit".
Spanishmetro
In Spanish, “metro” is also used to refer to the subway system in major cities.
Swedishmeter
The Swedish word "meter" can also refer to a verse, a beat or rhythm, or a measurement of time.
Welshmetr
In Welsh, the word "metr" also means "measure" or "standard"

Meter in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianметр
"Метр" may also mean a rhythm or size in poetry or music.
Bosnianmetar
The word "metar" in Bosnian is derived from the Greek "metron" and also refers to a rhyme scheme in Bosnian poetry.
Bulgarianметър
The word "метър" has an alternate meaning of "tempo" in Bulgarian.
Czechmetr
The word "metr" can also mean "subway" in Czech.
Estonianmeeter
Estonian word "meeter" also means "measurer" and can figuratively refer to a person who "measures up" to a certain standard or situation.
Finnishmittari
It is also used as a slang for a 100-euro bill.
Hungarianméter
In Hungarian the word “méter” is also used to refer to the poetic rhythm of a Hungarian folk song.
Latvianskaitītājs
The word "skaitītājs" is derived from the verb "skaitīt" (to count) and originally meant a "calculator".
Lithuanianmetras
The word "metras" also means "distance" in Lithuanian.
Macedonianметар
In Macedonian, "метар" also translates to "gauge" or "yardstick".
Polishmetr
In Polish, "metr" can also refer to a subway station or the subway system itself.
Romanianmetru
"Metru" is borrowed from the French "mètre" via German "Meter", with "metru" also meaning "rhythm" in Romanian.
Russianметр
The word "метр" can also refer to a unit of musical rhythm or a system of poetic measure.
Serbianметар
The word 'metak' can also, colloquially, refer to a bullet.
Slovakmeter
The word "meter" in Slovak also refers to a "gauge" or "ruler" used for measuring.
Slovenianmeter
The word "meter" in Slovenian can also mean "rhyme" or "measure".
Ukrainianметр
The Ukrainian word "метр" is derived from the French "mètre" and the Greek "μέτρον" and also means "rhythm" or "tempo".

Meter in South Asian Languages

Bengaliমিটার
"মিটার" can also mean "measure" in Bengali, derived from the Latin word "metrum".
Gujaratiમીટર
The Gujarati word "મીટર" ("meter") is derived from the Greek word "μέτρον" ("metron"), meaning "a measure".
Hindiमीटर
The word "मीटर" (meter) in Hindi is derived from the Greek word "metron", meaning "measure".
Kannadaಮೀಟರ್
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Malayalamമീറ്റർ
The word 'മീറ്റർ' in Malayalam has alternate meanings such as 'rhythm' and 'musical cadence'.
Marathiमीटर
Nepaliमिटर
The Nepali word "मिटर" is derived from the French word "mètre", which in turn comes from the Greek word "μέτρον" (metron), meaning "measure."
Punjabiਮੀਟਰ
ਮੀਟਰ, meter, can also mean rhythm or poetic measure in Punjabi.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)මීටරය
In Sinhala, "මීටරය" can also refer to a measuring tape or a length of cloth equivalent to approximately 1.25 meters.
Tamilமீட்டர்
The word 'மீட்டர்' ('meter') is also used in Tamil to refer to a device or apparatus used for measuring distance, volume, or quantity.
Teluguమీటర్
మీటర్ can also mean rhythm or timing and is often used in music context.
Urduمیٹر
The word "میٹر" in Urdu derives from the Greek "μέτρον" ("metron"), and it can mean "measure," "rhythm," or "poetry."

Meter in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)仪表
The original meaning of "仪表" was an astronomical instrument, later it came to mean 'a device or mechanism for measuring a physical quantity'
Chinese (Traditional)儀表
In the past "儀表" meant a ruler for drawing lines and measuring the earth, later meaning instruments like the abacus that could perform computations
Japaneseメーター
In Japanese, "メーター" can also refer to a paid parking zone or a fare of a taxi.
Korean미터
The Sino-Korean word for 'meter' (미터) is also used to mean 'rhythm' or 'beat' in music.
Mongolianметр
The word
Myanmar (Burmese)မီတာ
The Myanmar word "မီတာ" is borrowed from English and retains its original meaning as a unit of measurement, but can also refer to an electricity meter.

Meter in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianmeter
"Meter" in Indonesian can also mean "poem", deriving from the Dutch word "metrum" meaning "meter" or "rhythm"
Javanesemeter
In Javanese, "meter" also refers to a measure of land area (typically around 900 m²) and to the space allotted in front of a house.
Khmerម៉ែត្រ
The term "ម៉ែត្រ" is also used in Khmer to refer to a "measuring tool" or "measuring device".
Laoແມັດ
The word ແມັດ ('meter') is borrowed from French and also means 'mother' (only in northern and central Laos).
Malaymeter
The word "meter" in Malay can also mean "gauge", "measure", or "standard".
Thaiเมตร
The word 'เมตร' ('meter') also refers to a traditional Thai unit of length equal to roughly 50 cm.
Vietnamesemét
In Vietnamese, "Mét" also refers to the "metric system".
Filipino (Tagalog)metro

Meter in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanimetr
The word "metr" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Greek word "metron", meaning "measure".
Kazakhметр
The word "метр" (meter) in Kazakh also means "rhythm" or "beat" in music.
Kyrgyzметр
In Kyrgyz, "метр" can also refer to a musical beat or tempo.
Tajikметр
The Tajik word
Turkmenmetr
Uzbekmetr
Although the word "metr" in Uzbek means "meter", it is also used colloquially to refer to public transportation such as buses or subways.
Uyghurمېتىر

Meter in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmika
Meter in Hawaiian, mika, can also mean 'to measure', 'to weigh', 'to try', 'to judge', 'to estimate', or 'to rate'.
Maorimita
The Maori word "mita" originates from the English word "meter" and also means "read" or "count" in Maori.
Samoanmita
The word "mita" is a borrowed term from the English word "meter", and also refers to a "measurement" or a "distance" in Samoan.
Tagalog (Filipino)metro
In Tagalog, "metro" also refers to the Manila Light Rail Transit System, which is commonly called "MRT."

Meter in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarametro
Guaranimetro

Meter in International Languages

Esperantometro
Metro derives from the French word “mètre” and the Greek word “μέτρον” (metron), meaning “measure”.
Latinmeter
In ancient Greece the word “métron”, from which “meter” derives, indicated both a measure and the device that performs a measure.

Meter in Others Languages

Greekμετρητής
The word μετρητής in Greek can also mean “a measurer or surveyor” and is derived from the verb μετρέω, which means “to measure or distribute”.
Hmongmeter
In Hmong, "meter" can also mean "electric meter" or an abstract unit of measurement.
Kurdishjimarvan
The word 'jimarvan' in Kurdish is derived from the Persian word 'zim' meaning 'length'.
Turkishmetre
Turkish "ölçü" and "mizân" words also have the meaning of "meter".
Xhosaimitha
Imita also refers to a traditional beaded necklace for women.
Yiddishמעטער
The word 'מעטער' (meter) in Yiddish can also refer to a 'measurer', a device for measuring or a person who takes measurements.
Zuluimitha
The Zulu word "imitha" comes from the Proto-Bantu root "-mita", meaning "to measure".
Assameseমিটাৰ
Aymarametro
Bhojpuriमीटर के बा
Dhivehiމީޓަރެވެ
Dogriमीटर
Filipino (Tagalog)metro
Guaranimetro
Ilocanometro
Kriomita
Kurdish (Sorani)مەتر
Maithiliमीटर
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯃꯤꯇꯔ ꯑꯃꯥ꯫
Mizometer a ni
Oromomeetira
Odia (Oriya)ମିଟର
Quechuamitru
Sanskritमीटर्
Tatarметр
Tigrinyaሜትሮ ሜትር ምዃኑ ይፍለጥ
Tsongamitara

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