liter
noun
Simple meaning
A metric unit of volume, about the amount in a large bottle of water.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
leeterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈlitɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
American spelling
The metric unit of fluid measure, equal to one cubic decimetre. Symbol: L, l, or ℓ.
American spelling
A metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (American spelling) The metric unit of fluid measure, equal to one cubic decimetre. Symbol: L, l, or ℓ.
Used this way, liter is a word tied to one variety of English that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This sense is about measurement, so it is used where accuracy is the point.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Regional
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Uncommon in everyday speech
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
- Academic writing
Usage note
Mainly used in American English, so it may read as unusual elsewhere.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: metric unit of fluid measure
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