Sentimeetri

Sentimeetri, commonly known in English as the centimeter, is a unit of length in the metric system. It is defined as one hundredth of a meter, so 1 cm equals 0.01 meters. The centimeter is a derived unit in the International System of Units (SI); the base unit for length is the meter, while the centimeter is accepted for use with SI but is not itself a base unit.

The standard symbol for the unit is cm. Centimeters are widely used for everyday measurements of small distances and objects, such as the dimensions of a notebook or a person’s height in many countries. For finer measurements, millimeters are used; for larger measurements, meters are common.

Conversions between units are straightforward: 1 meter = 100 centimeters; 1 centimeter = 10 millimeters. In common practice, 1 centimeter is about 0.3937 inches. Rulers and tape measures typically show centimeter markings, reflecting its role in everyday measurement.

Etymology and history: the name centimeter comes from French centimètre, from Latin centum meaning “hundred” and metron meaning “measure.” The metric system was developed in the late 18th century, and the centimeter was defined as 1/100 of a meter, aligning with the system’s decimal structure. The meter itself was historically linked to a defined fraction of the earth’s meridian.

In Estonian contexts, the unit is called sentimeeter. As a widely used non-SI unit accepted for use with SI, the centimeter remains common for describing small to moderate lengths in everyday life.