I. ˈmezhə(r), ˈmāzh- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English mesure, from Old French, from Latin mensura, from mensus (past participle of metiri to measure) + -ura -ure; akin to Old English mǣth measure, Greek metron meter, measure, Sanskrit māti he measures
1.
a. : an adequate, given, or fitting amount or degree:
(1) : commensurate or due portion : quota
all too few of the British actresses … have received their measure of remembrance — Saturday Review
fill the measure of our duty to our defective fellow citizens — B.N.Cardozo
(2) : extent or degree that is not excessive : not undue portion ; also : a sense of proportion or restraint : moderation , temperance
with that tactlessness, that lack of measure that were characteristic of her, went on piling question upon rhetorical question — Aldous Huxley
(3) : fixed or suitable proportion or limit : bounds
angry beyond measure
Greek love of moderation, proportion, harmony, and due measure — Lucius Garvin
the love of God is broader than the measure of man's mind — S.D.Harkness
b.
(1) : the dimensions, capacity, or amount of something ascertained by measuring : measurements, size
a slipcover made to measure
took his measure for a coat
several grades of freemen according to the measure of their wealth — John MacNeill
specifically : the width of a full line of print or type usually expressed in picas
(2) : the limit of the distance at which a fencer can reach his opponent by lunging
(3) : the character, ability, or magnitude of a person or thing considered as a matter of observation or judgment : an estimate of what is to be expected (as of a person or situation)
a show tailored to the measure of its star
whoever tries to … size him up gives an immediate measure of himself — Max Ascoli
the measure of their tragedy is now beyond our imagination — G.F.Kennan
take the measure of the crisis
c.
(1) : a quantity measured out especially in relation to a standard : a measured quantity of a substance or article
using level measures is the easiest … way of measuring — Bee Nilson
tolerance was not dealt in the same measure to men and women — Edith Wharton
: a quantity measuring up to a standard
whether this carton of milk contains full measure — D.M.Turnbull
a play that gives the audience short measure
(2) : amount , extent , degree
rooks consume an enormous quantity of grubs … taking a fair measure of grain by way of reward — British Birds in Colour
giving children a greater measure of freedom
in the measure we buy abroad, profitable markets there will attract capital — T.J.Kreps
d. : the amount or kind of treatment meted out (as in retribution)
the measure which he had dealt to others should now be meted out to him — Edith Sitwell
2.
a. : an instrument (as a yardstick) or a utensil (as a graduated cup) for measuring
b.
(1) : the customary local unit (as of volume) for a particular commodity
the measure containing two Winchester bushels — Robert Forsyth
(2) : a quantity (as of wheat, oil, beans) measured by such a unit
six measures of gravel
(3) : one of a number of equal but indeterminate measured quantities
at the rate … of 16 measures of rice for 25 of salt — H.W.Hilman
c. : something used as a standard in measuring
the customary load of a donkey as a measure of weight
measures of time are commonly derived from some kind of human endurance — Notes & Queries on Anthropology
especially : a standard unit of length, area, or volume (as the foot, acre, cubic inch, quart)
exact weights and measures maintained by a governmental bureau of standards
d. : a system of standard units of measure — usually used with a qualifier indicating the class of the system
metric measure
the dimension or the kind of object or substance measured
long measure
board measure
or the locality where the system is used
British measure
3. : the act or process of measuring
settled by a measure made by a surveyor
4.
a. : something having rhythmic sound or movement
extolled the jury system in stately Victorian measures — Saturday Review
as
(1) : melody , tune
a strong, clean wind which rushed in a droning measure through the broom sedge — Ellen Glasgow
(2) : a round or turn of dancing : dance
(3) : a slow and stately dance
b. : rhythmic structure : measured pattern of movement : beat , cadence
a finer language, style, and measure than the Greek which it translates — Times Literary Supplement
as
(1) : poetic rhythm measured by temporal quantity or accent ; specifically : meter
(2) : musical time
c. : a division or unit (as of time or stress) in a rhythmic sequence: as
(1) : a grouping of musical beats made by the regular recurrence of primary accents and located on the staff immediately following a vertical bar — called also bar
(2) : a division of a rhythmic structure (as a poem) in terms of a quantitative relation (as temporal balance)
d. : quantitative relation (as of identity, equivalence, correspondence, or balance) among elements or parts in a rhythmic structure ; especially : temporal relation or balance
5.
[translation of Greek metron ]
a. : an exact division of a quantity
6 being the greatest common measure of 42 and 12
b. : a basis of comparison : denominator
no common measure between the masses of Soviet industrial hands … and our own working people — E.D.Laborde
6.
a.
(1) : a standard by which something intangible is determined or regulated : criterion
the measure should not be what others are doing but what is right for the individual child — Dorothy Barclay
(2) : a directly observable quantity from which the value of another related quantity may be obtained
the measure of an angle is the subtended arc
the measure of a quantity of electricity is the mass of silver deposited by it in electrolysis
b. : a means of measuring or indicating something that cannot be directly measured, observed, or represented : test
scored low in a measure of emotional adjustment
: indication , index , yardstick
the tastiness … of such foods became a measure of the efficiency and thrift of the family — Carol Aronovici
7. measures plural : strata of a mineral (as coal)
8. : an action planned or taken toward the accomplishment of a purpose : means to an end
wore steel helmets as a safety measure
apply measures to prevent the spread of infection
: step
took strong measures against the rebels
specifically : a proposed legislative act : bill
sponsored an anti-inflation measure in the senate
•
- beyond measure
- for good measure
- in a measure
II. verb
( measured ; measured ; measuring -zh(ə)riŋ ; measures )
Etymology: Middle English mesuren, from Old French mesurer, from Late Latin mensurare, from Latin mensura measure — more at measure I
transitive verb
1.
a. : to choose or control (as one's words or acts) with cautious restraint : regulate , weigh
measure his acts and words with an iron will — H.E.Scudder
b. : to regulate or adjust by a rule or standard : govern
the demand for the commodity measuring the amount produced
measure our efforts not by what we feel like doing but by what the situation demands
2.
a. : to allot or distribute as if by measure : deal out : mete — often used with out
laws that … measure out their rewards and punishments with calm indifference — P.E.More
b. : to apportion in measured amounts ; also : to separate (as from a stock) or add (as to a mixture) by measure — often used with off or out
measure out the ingredients carefully
measure off three cups of flour
and sometimes with in
measure in the vinegar last
3.
a. : to lay off, mark, or fix (a specified distance or extent) by making measurements
measure three-foot intervals between the plantings
measure off a half-acre plot for a house lot
b. : to lay off, mark, or fix the exact dimensions or plan of by making measurements
measure out the lines for the foundations
measure the course for the 200-meter race
measure off the trunk into logs of 6, 12, or 18 feet
4.
a. : to ascertain the quantity, mass, extent, or degree of in terms of a standard unit or fixed amount usually by means of an instrument or container marked off in the units : measure the dimensions of : take the measurements of
measure the depth, height, and width of the cabinet
measure the snowfall
measure the speed of the car
measure the luminosity of a star
measure the temperature of the oven
b. : to compute the size of (an area, object) from dimensional measurements
measure the surface area
5. : to judge or estimate the extent, strength, worth, or character of (as a quality, action, or person)
measure intelligence
measure the gravity of the crisis
measure the value of the counseling program
measured his opponent before announcing his candidacy
measure success by salary
specifically : to appraise in comparison with something taken as a criterion — often used with against
measure himself not against adults but against age-mates — Margaret Mead
6. archaic : to travel over : traverse
the public mind had now measured back again the space over which it had passed between 1640 and 1660 — T.B.Macaulay
7. : to be a means (as an instrument or standard) of measuring : serve as the measure of : indicate
the piles of sun-bleached linen that measured the housewife's pride — Ruth Davidson
the atomic number … measures both the number of protons and of electrons — James Jeans
8. : to bring into competition or contest
measure his skill with his rival's in a duel
9. : to look (a person) up and down : view appraisingly
his eyes measured me for the first time — Christopher Isherwood
intransitive verb
1. : to take or make a measurement : measure something
the shepherd measures from the time the ewes lambed — Lewis Mumford
2. : to have a specified measurement or measurements
the cloth measures two yards
the bedroom measures 10 feet by 12
3. : to be comparable
a success that measures with their aims
4. : to admit of being measured
measures more easily if spread on a table
•
- measure one's length
- measure swords