nanometer

noun

nano·​me·​ter ˈna-nə-ˌmē-tər How to pronounce nanometer (audio)
: one billionth of a meter

Examples of nanometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the new study, researchers created a silicon wafer that varied in height from 150 to 220 nanometers. IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, spin waves have wavelengths of around 100 nanometers and offer a different vision for analog computing more aligned to the predominantly electronic world of digital computers. IEEE Spectrum, 17 Feb. 2024 Upon completion in 2028, its primary mirror will be an array of 798 hexagonal mirrors, each 1.5 meters across, working in concert within an accuracy of a few dozen nanometers to create a single reflecting surface spanning an incredible 39 meters. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 29 Dec. 2023 Optical wavelengths in the near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum are so small — measured in nanometers — and the frequencies so high that much more information can be packed into the same space, pushing data rates 10 to 100 times greater than is possible with radio. John Johnson Jr., Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2023 In the new study, physicists fabricated a tiny channel 225 nanometers wide and up to 0.5 millimeters long. IEEE Spectrum, 24 Oct. 2023 Its circuits, measured in nanometers and invisible to the human eye, may be the most sophisticated objects ever made. Alex Travelli, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023 Each was roughly 600 nanometers long by 200 nanometers wide — about 50 times narrower than a red blood cell. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 27 Nov. 2023 Electrons in semiconductors usually scatter after traveling just nanometers, on a timescale measured in femtoseconds. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nanometer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nanometer was in 1963

Dictionary Entries Near nanometer

Cite this Entry

“Nanometer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nanometer. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nanometer

noun
nano·​meter
ˈnan-ə-ˌmēt-ər
: one billionth of a meter

Medical Definition

nanometer

noun
nano·​me·​ter
variants or chiefly British nanometre
: one billionth of a meter
abbreviation nm

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