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kilo-. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
kilo-, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
kilo- in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
kilo- you have here. The definition of the word
kilo- will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
kilo-, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From French, kilo- irregularly derived from Ancient Greek χίλιοι (khílioi, “one thousand”). The etymologically "correct" form would be chili- or chilo-, resulting in forms such as chiliasme (“chiliasm”) or chilopode (“centipede”); but the French, when creating the prefix, had to avoid a possible (standard) pronunciation of chi as /ʃi/, too close to the vulgar verb chier.
Prefix
kilo-
- In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 1,000. Symbol: k
- (computing) Multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 210 (1024)
Usage notes
- The usage of kilo as a 1024x multiplier in computing is considered obsolete in some groups, but others continue to use it this way. See kibi-.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Translations
Further reading
- “kilo-”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
Albanian
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “kilo-”, in FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language] (in Albanian), 1980
Basque
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Category Basque terms prefixed with kilo- not found
Further reading
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from French kilo-, from Ancient Greek χίλιοι (khílioi, “thousand”).
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo- (SI prefix expressing 103 of the base unit)
Usage notes
- The letter k is not normally used in Catalan. Instead, Catalan orthography calls for using the qu digraph to represent the /k/ sound before an e or an i. Therefor, when the metric system was introduced into Catalan, the prefix kilo- was originally spelled quilo-. With the advent of k as a standard international abbreviation, usage of kilo- has become not only acceptable, but also more common than the traditional spelling. However, traditionalists still insist upon the use of quilo-.
Further reading
Czech
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “kilo-”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
- kilo- in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017
Danish
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
Dutch
Etymology
From French kilo-.
Pronunciation
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “kilogram” in Van Dale Onlinewoordenboek, Van Dale Lexicografie, 2007.
Esperanto
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- kilogramo in Fundamento de Esperanto by L. L. Zamenhof, 1905
Estonian
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “kilo-”, in Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009
Finnish
Etymology
Internationalism, from French kilo-, ultimately from Ancient Greek χίλιοι (khílioi, “one thousand”).
Pronunciation
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
Anagrams
French
Etymology
See English kilo-.
Pronunciation
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
German
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “kilo-” in Duden online
- “kilo-” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Hungarian
Pronunciation
Prefix
kilo-
- (noun prefix) kilo-
- kilo- + méter (“meter”) → kilométer (“kilometer”)
Derived terms
Further reading
- kilométer in Hungarian–English dictionary at SZTAKI
Ido
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- kilogram-o in Ido-English Dictionary by L. H. Dyer, 1924
Ingrian
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian кило- (kilo-).
Pronunciation
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Italian
Prefix
kilo-
- (sciences) kilo-
- Synonym: (in more general usage) chilo-
Further reading
- kilo- in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
Latvian
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
Lithuanian
Noun
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
Norwegian Bokmål
Noun
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
Norwegian Nynorsk
Noun
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
Polish
Pronunciation
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- kilo- in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Prefix
kilo-
- Alternative spelling of quilo-
Romanian
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
Serbo-Croatian
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “kilo-”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024
Slovak
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “kilo-”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024
Slovene
Pronunciation
Prefix
kȋlo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “kilo-”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2024
Spanish
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
Swedish
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
Anagrams
Turkish
Prefix
kilo-
- kilo-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “kilogram”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu