Metric units of length, with 100 centimeters equal to one meter; commonly used to measure smaller distances and human heights.
From French 'centimètre,' combining 'centi-' (Latin for hundred) and 'mètre' (Greek 'metron,' meaning measure). This scientific term was standardized during the French Revolution's metric system reform in the 1790s.
Most of the world uses centimeters, but the U.S., Myanmar, and Liberia still use inches and feet—a quirk that costs America millions in engineering mishaps and is partly a historical accident of not adopting the metric system early enough.
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