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nanometer

nanometer

7 4.8
One billionth of a meter used to measure very small parts like computer chips
  • noun
  • /ˈnænəˌmiːtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nanómetro
  • A quantum dot is a crystal of semiconductor material that is only a few nanometers in length.
  • nanometer scale
  • few nanometers
  • nanometer-sized

Shine the light on a three nanometer dot and it'll glow green.

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Examples

  • Today, some surgical scalpels have their tips sharpened to just three nanometers across, and the best material for this purpose is Obsidian.

  • To make a more refined description, you just make the cells smaller, say, a cubic nanometer.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Physicists have designed machine parts that could work at nanometer scales.

    Academic text (2005)
  • William P. King is a leader in the engineering of micrometer and nanometer-scale thermal systems.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The 2,000 segments can be positioned to within a nanometer with computer-controlled actuators.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The range, corresponding to wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers, is where the Sun emits most of its light.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Our NanoFrazor is an exciting new tool for the fabrication of nanometer-sized, 3D-shaped devices and structures.

    Blog text (7)
  • The nanowires are approximately 1,000 nanometers (1 micrometer) long and from 20 nanometers to 200 nanometers in diameter.

    Academic text (2011)
  • NANOGATE: Columbus, Ohio-based iMEDD Inc.'s subcutaneous implant releases drugs from nanometer-scale pores.

    Academic text (2004)
  • A virus ranges from about 10 to 100 nanometers, which is too small to see.

Synonyms

nm
vsnanometer
  • Specialized
7 5.5

A unit for measuring very short lengths equal to one billionth of a meter

is the full modern name rather than its short written form
millimicron
vsnanometer
  • Archaic
1 8.6

A unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter called a nanometer

is the current standard name used in modern scientific contexts
micromillimeter
vsnanometer
  • Archaic
9.9

A very small length equal to one billionth of a meter

is the widely accepted modern term rather than less common variants

How Small

picometer
  • Specialized
7.2
nanometer
  • Specialized
7 4.8
micrometer
  • Specialized
2 4.8
millimeter
  • Specialized
140 2.5
centimeter
  • US
92 1.0
meter
  • Specialized
621 1.0
kilometer
  • US
572 1.8

Surface Forms

nanometer singular
nanometers plural

Morphology

nanometer = meter (transparent) = nano + meter

The meaning is a straightforward combination of the size prefix 'nano-' with 'meter' to denote a very small unit of length.

Etymology

Nanometer breaks into two parts: nano- meaning 'very small' from an old Greek word for 'dwarf', and meter meaning the unit of length, as in centimeter. So a nanometer is one billionth of a meter, a tiny measure used for very small things like parts of computer chips and the wavelength of light.