n. (Abbr. km)
A metric unit of length equal to 1,000 meters (0.62 mile).
kilometric kil'o·met'ric (kĭl'ə-mĕt'rĭk) adj.
USAGE NOTE Although the pronunciation of kilometer with stress on the second syllable, (kĭ-lŏm'ĭ-tər), is often censured because it does not conform to the stress pattern in millimeter and centimeter (it originally came about by false analogy with barometer and thermometer), it continues to thrive in American English. In a recent survey, 69 percent of the Usage Panel preferred this pronunciation, while 29 percent preferred the pronunciation (kĭl'ə-mē'tər).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
