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caliber

Syllabification: (cal·i·ber)
Pronunciation: /ˈkaləbər/
(British calibre
, abbreviation: cal or cal.)
Translate caliber | into French | into German | into Spanish
Definition of caliber

noun

  • 1the quality of someone’s character or the level of someone’s ability:they could ill afford to lose a man of his caliber
  • the standard reached by something:educational facilities of a very high caliber
  • 2the internal diameter or bore of a gun barrel: [in combination]:a .22 caliber repeater rifle
  • the diameter of a bullet, shell, or rocket.
  • the diameter of a circular body, such as a tube, blood vessel, or fiber.

Derivatives

calibered

adjective
[also in combination]

Origin:

mid 16th century (in the sense 'social standing or importance'): from French calibre, from Italian calibro, perhaps from Arabic ḳālib 'mold', based on Greek kalapous 'shoemaker's last'

caliber in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of caliber in the British & World English dictionary
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