der Zentimeter
centimeter
A unit of length equal to one hundredth of a meter. The official symbol is 'cm'.
EXAMPLE
Dieses Lineal ist 30 Zentimeter lang.
This ruler is 30 centimeters long.
der Zentimeter
centimeter
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is made up of 'Zenti-' (centi-) and 'Meter' (meter). The prefix 'Zenti-' comes from Latin and means 'hundredth'. So a centimeter is literally one hundredth of a meter.
EXAMPLE
Ein Meter hat hundert Zentimeter.
One meter has one hundred centimeters.
Use with numbers
After numbers above 1, 'Zentimeter' (centimeter) often remains unchanged, especially when it is used as part of an adjective. In spoken language, however, the plural is also often used.
EXAMPLE
Ich brauche ein 50-Zentimeter-Lineal.
I need a 50-centimeter ruler.
Typical collocations
'Zentimeter' (centimeter) is often used with adjectives like 'lang' (long), 'breit' (wide), 'hoch' (high/tall), or 'groß' (big/tall). Combinations with verbs like 'wachsen um' (to grow by) or 'schrumpfen um' (to shrink by) are also typical.
EXAMPLE
Das Kind ist im letzten Jahr um fünf Zentimeter gewachsen.
The child grew by five centimeters last year.
Compare with
Zentimeter vs Millimeter
millimeter
Both Zentimeter and Millimeter are units of length. A Zentimeter refers to a larger measurement, while a Millimeter is one tenth of a Zentimeter and is therefore suitable for very small lengths. Use Zentimeter for ordinary small distances and Millimeter for especially fine measurements.
Zentimeter
Der Riss an der Wand ist ungefähr zwei Zentimeter lang.
The crack in the wall is approximately two centimeters long.
Millimeter
Der feine Riss am Glas ist nur ungefähr zwei Millimeter lang.
The fine crack in the glass is only about two millimeters long.
In real life
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