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mil¹

(mĭl)

1. A unit of length equal to one thousandth (10^-3) of an inch (0.0254 millimeter), used, for example, to specify the diameter of wire or the thickness of materials sold in sheets.

2. A milliliter; one cubic centimeter.

3. A unit of angular measurement used in artillery and equal to ¹/₆₄₀₀ of a complete revolution.

[Short for Latin mīllēsimus, thousandth, from mīlle, thousand; see gheslo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

mil²

(mĭl)

Slang A million dollars.

mil.

abbr.

1. military

2. militia

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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