metric

¹

[ me-trik ]

adjective

1. pertaining to the meter or to the metric system.

noun

1. Often metrics. a standard for measuring or evaluating something, especially one that uses figures or statistics:

   new metrics for gauging an organization’s diversity;

   pretty good by any metric.

metric

²

[ me-trik ]

adjective

1. pertaining to distance:

   metric geometry.

2. metrical.

noun

1. Mathematics. a nonnegative real-valued function having properties analogous to those of the distance between points on a real line, as the distance between two points being independent of the order of the points, the distance between two points being zero if, and only if, the two points coincide, and the distance between two points being less than or equal to the sum of the distances from each point to an arbitrary third point.

-metric

³

1. a combining form occurring in adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -meter ( barometric ) or -metry ( geometric ).

metric

/ ˈmɛtrɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the metre or metric system
2. maths denoting or relating to a set containing pairs of points for each of which a non-negative real number ρ( x, y ) (the distance) can be defined, satisfying specific conditions

noun

1. maths the function ρ( x, y ) satisfying the conditions of membership of such a set (a metric space )

metric

/ mĕt′rĭk /

1. Relating to the meter or the metric system.

Word History and Origins

Origin of metric¹

1860–65; < French métrique, derivative of mètre meter ¹; -ic

Origin of metric²

1750–60; < Latin metricus < Greek metrikós of, relating to measuring. See meter ², -ic

Origin of metric³

< Greek -metrikos; meter ², -metry, -ic

Example Sentences

"Getting more parks and trees into cities is complicated work, and I realised that a simple metric could take the mystery out of it and set a proper benchmark based on evidence," he said.

From Science Daily

The improvement can be up to 5%, which is significant for metrics that measure uncertainty in predicting word sequences.

From Science Daily

News uses a proprietary formula that incorporates a host of metrics to sort all manner of higher education institutions and programs.

From New York Times

I think that’s always the leading metric for us — the emotional connection.

From Los Angeles Times

By many gender equality metrics, South Korea lags behind much of the industrialized world.

From Los Angeles Times