metric 1
/me"trik/ , adj.
pertaining to the meter or to the metric system.
[ 1860-65; métrique, deriv. of mètre METER 1 ; see -IC ]
metric 2
/me"trik/ , adj.
1. pertaining to distance: metric geometry.
2. metrical.
n.
3. Math. a nonnegative real-valued function having properties analogous to those of the distance between points on a real line, as the distance between two points being independent of the order of the points, the distance between two points being zero if, and only if, the two points coincide, and the distance between two points being less than or equal to the sum of the distances from each point to an arbitrary third point.
[ 1750-60; metricus metrikós of, relating to measuring. See METER 2 , -IC ]