Main Entry:

cal·i·ber

Variant(s):

or cal·i·bre \ˈka-lə-bər, British also kə-ˈlē-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle French calibre, from Old Italian calibro, from Arabic qālib shoemaker's last

Date:

1567

1 a: degree of mental capacity or moral quality b: degree of excellence or importance2 a: the diameter of a bullet or other projectile b: the diameter of a bore of a gun usually expressed in hundredths or thousandths of an inch and typically written as a decimal fraction <.32 caliber>3: the diameter of a round or cylindrical body ; especially : the internal diameter of a hollow cylinder