@barnabyharward: That is exactly my point: it doesn’t matter what I like or you like. When it comes to specifications, there are no dialects. If you’re familiar with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), a language that is used to style web pages, you’ll know that the word is spelled “color”; spelling it as “colour” simply won’t work. The SI and IUPAC work in the same way.
The US, like every other country in the world which uses the SI, has signed the Treaty of the Metre and/or is a member of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). Part of being a signee/member is the stipulation that states that the BIPM is the sole entity that regulates the SI, and the BIPM officially publishes the SI in two languages: English and French. In these languages, deviating from the specification, including spelling, is not allowed.
In all other languages (e.g., German, Dutch, Polish, Lithuanian, Romanian, etc. as you mentioned), because the SI is not published in those languages, only deviating from the definitions and symbols of the units is not allowed. So, for example, writing the unit name as “metro” in Spanish is allowed because the SI isn’t published in Spanish, but writing “кг” as the unit symbol for the kilogram in Russian, as is colloquially done, is not allowed and incorrect because symbols are universal in the SI and the symbol for the kilogram is “kg”.
@John: Indeed, but it’s actually a historical transcription error. The original word referring to the element sulfur is “sulpur” (without the h) in Latin. Scribes mistakenly thought it came from Greek (the Greek word for sulfur is “theio”; completely different), so they changed it to “sulphur”. Given that this now looks and sounds Greek, people started pronouncing it as it would be in Greek with the “ph” as an “f”. Eventually, this mistranscription was ironically re-transliterated back into Latin as “sulfur” as per Latin orthographic rules, and “sulfur” and “sulphur” coexisted for a while, though “sulphur” was the more popular and traditional one. Noah Webster standardized on “sulfur” in the US, while the British kept the traditional “sulphur”, and we were where we were until the IUPAC standardized to “sulfur” in the 1990s. IMO, they should’ve righted this historical mistake and just standardized on “sulpur”, which is the proper Latin.
FAQs
For the unit of measurement equaling approximately 1.094 yards, meter is the American spelling, and metre is preferred everywhere else. The same distinction applies to the terms used in poetry and music—meter in American English, and metre everywhere else.
How do you use meter and metre in a sentence? ›
She set a world record in the 100 metre sprint at her national championships. The tunnel is 10 metres wide and 600 metres long. They must each compose a poem in strict alliterative metre. All of the poems are written in traditional metres and rhyme schemes.
Why is meter spelled two different ways? ›
The word “meter” is used by both the American and the British English learners when referring to measuring instruments. The distinction of these words in spelling indicates that the words “meter” and “metre” have different accents. “Meter” is articulated as “mee” +”ter” while “metre” is pronounced as “mee”+”tuh”.
Is it meter or metre in Canada? ›
In metric measurement "metre" is the British English and the French spelling (you see, we do like the French), obviously the Canadians like the French too. Meter is just the American English spelling.
What do you mean by metre? ›
me·ter ˈmē-tər. : the base unit of length in the International System of Units that is equal to the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in ¹/₂₉₉,₇₉₂,₄₅₈ second or to about 39.37 inches see Metric System Table.
Is meter grammatically correct? ›
For the unit of measurement equaling approximately 1.094 yards, meter is the American spelling, and metre is preferred everywhere else. The same distinction applies to the terms used in poetry and music—meter in American English, and metre everywhere else.
What is meter examples? ›
Meter describes the rhythm (or pattern of beats) in a line of poetry. Meter is a combination of the number of beats and the arrangement of stressed and non-stressed syllables in each line. Iambic pentameter is a primary example of meter.
Is it American meter or metre? ›
Meter is predominantly used in 🇺🇸 American (US) English ( en-US ) while metre is predominantly used in 🇬🇧 British English (used in UK/AU/NZ) ( en-GB ). In the United States, there is a preference for "meter" over "metre" (99 to 1).
Why do Americans spell metre meter? ›
The reason is that American lexicographer Noah Webster promoted spelling reforms starting in the late 18th century. He changed the -re ending in many words to -er, so it would match the pronunciation. British English kept the French spelling.
Is it meter or metre in music? ›
metre, also spelled Meter, in music, rhythmic pattern constituted by the grouping of basic temporal units, called beats, into regular measures, or bars; in Western notation, each measure is set off from those adjoining it by bar lines.
The biggest reasons the U.S. hasn't adopted the metric system are simply time and money. When the Industrial Revolution began in the country, expensive manufacturing plants became a main source of American jobs and consumer products.
Do Americans use the metric system? ›
In 1975, Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act, which declared metric as the preferred system of the United States, and the U.S. Metric Board was created to implement the conversion.
Is it GREY or gray in Canada? ›
Canadians prefer the spelling grey, although gray is also correct. Grey is the preferred spelling in Britain, while gray is favoured in the United States. A tolerant and forgiving person, my aunt never saw the world in black and white, but always in shades of grey.
What does meter literally mean? ›
The word is derived from the Old French metre, which referenced the specific use of “metrical scheme in verse.” However, it originated from the Latin word metrum, from the Greek metron, meaning “meter, a verse; that by which anything is measured; measure, length, size, limit, proportion.” The use of the literary term ...
What is the plural of metre? ›
Noun. metre (plural metres)
What makes a metre a metre? ›
Since 1983, the metre has been internationally defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second.
How do you use metre in a sentence? ›
metre noun (MEASUREMENT)
He is 1 m 75 tall. The price of water rose to 48p per cubic metre (= a unit of volume equal to 1,000 litres). The room is six metres square. The women's 200 metre event will be followed by the men's 100 metres.
What are the 5 examples of meter in poetry? ›
English poetry employs five basic rhythms of varying stressed (/) and unstressed (x) syllables. The meters are iambs, trochees, spondees, anapests and dactyls.
What are the two uses of metre? ›
When measuring the length of an object, using the metre scale is one of the easiest and most direct methods. Further few purposes where metre scale is used are: To measure the height of an object. To measure the distance between two objects.
