mile

Reading level: easy

Estimated CEFR level: A1 — Beginner

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
  2. noun a unit of length used in navigation; exactly 1,852 meters; historically based on the distance spanned by one minute of arc in latitude
  3. noun a large distance

Etymology

From Middle English myle, mile, from Old English mīl, from Proto-West Germanic *mīliju, a borrowing of Latin mīlia, mīllia, plural of mīle, mīlle (“mile”) (literally ‘thousand’ but used as a short form of mīlle passūs (“a thousand paces”)).

In classic literature

Synonyms

statute mile, stat mi, land mile, international mile, mi

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