mile

mile
mile (n.) O.E. mil, from W.Gmc. *milja (Cf. M.Du. mile, Du. mijl, O.H.G. mila, Ger. meile), from L. mila "thousands," plural of mille "a thousand" (neuter plural was mistaken in Germanic as a fem. singular), of unknown origin.
The Latin word also is the source of Fr. mille, It. miglio, Sp. milla. The Scandinavian words (O.N. mila, etc.) are from English. An ancient Roman mile was 1,000 double paces (one step with each foot), for about 4,860 feet, but there were many local variants and a modern statute mile is about 400 feet longer. In Germany, Holland, and Scandinavia in the Middle Ages, the Latin word was applied arbitrarily to the ancient Germanic rasta, a measure of from 3.25 to 6 English miles. Mile-a-minute (adj.) "very fast" is attested from 1957.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • mile — mile …   Dictionnaire des rimes

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  • mile — [ majl ] n. m. • 1866 (le mot était francisé en mille); mot angl.; lat. milia ♦ Mesure anglo saxonne de longueur utilisée en Grande Bretagne, aux États Unis et au Canada, valant 5 280 pieds soit 1 609 mètres. ⇒ 2. mille. Sport Le record du monde… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Mile — steht für Meile (engl.), Längenmaß Statute mile (englische Meile), Längeneinheit der britischen Landmeile in Großbritannien und den USA Mile (Honghe) (弥勒县), Kreis im Autonomen Bezirk Honghe in der chinesischen Provinz Yunnan Milwaukee Mile,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • mile — [maɪl] written abbreviation m noun [countable] also geographical mile a unit for measuring distance or length, equal to 5,280 feet or 1,609 metres ˌnautical ˈmile also ˈsea mile a unit for measuring dista …   Financial and business terms

  • mile — [ maıl ] noun count *** 1. ) a unit for measuring distance, equal to 1,760 YARDS or 1.609 kilometers: The walk is about ten miles and on level ground. The town is about forty miles southeast of Budapest. miles long/deep/high etc.: The peninsula… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Mile — (m[imac]l), n. [AS. m[=i]l, fr. L. millia, milia; pl. of mille a thousand, i. e., milia passuum a thousand paces. Cf. {Mill} the tenth of a cent, {Million}.] A certain measure of distance, being equivalent in England and the United States to 320… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mile — ► NOUN 1) (also statute mile) a unit of linear measure equal to 1,760 yards (approximately 1.609 kilometres). 2) (miles) informal a very long way. ► ADVERB (miles) informal ▪ by a great amount or a long way. ● …   English terms dictionary

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  • mile — {{/stl 13}}{{stl 8}}przysł., mileej {{/stl 8}}{{stl 20}} {{/stl 20}}{{stl 12}}1. {{/stl 12}}{{stl 7}} przyjaźnie, z życzliwością, z serdecznością : {{/stl 7}}{{stl 10}}Witać, żegnać kogoś mile. Mile z kimś porozmawiać. {{/stl 10}}{{stl 20}}… …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

  • mile — or statute mile [mīl] n. pl. miles; sometimes, after a number, mile [ME < OE mil, pl. mila < WGmc * milja < L milia, pl. of mille, thousand, in milia passuum, thousand paces, mile] a unit of length in the FPS system, equal to 5,280 feet… …   English World dictionary

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