Mē'ter or Mē'tre1, n.
n. [A-S. meter, Fr. mètre, It. & Sp. metro, Lat. metrum, Gr. μέτρον, from the Lat. root met in metiri, to measure; Skr. mā.]
Sense 1. Rhythmical arrangement of syllables into verses, stanzas, strophes, &c.; poetical measure, depending on number, quantity, and accent of syllables; rhythm; measure; verse.
The only strict antithesis to prose is meter. Wordsworth.
Sense 2. (Fr. pron. mē'tr.) A French measure of length, equal to 39.370 English inches, or 39.368 American inches, the standard of linear measure, intended to be the ten millionth part of the distance from the equator to the north pole, as ascertained by actual measurement of an arc of the meridian.