How do you pronounce "centimeter" ??? - Page 5

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  1. Nov 13, '12 by
    Quote from SummitAP
    It is an SI unit that came from metric, but the metric prefix system, including centi- prefix, is LATIN not French. (Yes, French is a romance language, but we don't say other French derived words that way). We do not pronounce direct-Latin derivations with French pronunciation, particularly if the word has been present in English for centuries.
    Yes it comes from the Latin (centum=hundred), but it is also true France is the origin of the metric system and modern science (or at least modern chemistry) spread from there. Therefore, it is reasonable that in some regions, French pronunciation is used as the norm.

    Having used metric system in my native country where all that is western came from America, I've always said and heard sentimeter. A friend who came from Russia tells me that it's pronounced sahn-ti-metre in Russian.

    I say no big deal. Both are correct. I'll go with the majority though. In my experience (in US) I've only heard the sohn- pronunciation from two of my nursing professors, and senti- pronunciation from countless other professors of nursing, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
  2. Nov 13, '12 by
    Quote from MunoRN
    There are thousands of words in the English language that are French in origin, if we gave each a French inflection you'd have a hard time completing a sentence without an oddly placed Fronch accent. If something costs $2.50, do you say "two dollars and fifty sahnts"? Is that thing crawling up your arm a "sahntipede"?

    .
    Sahntipede made me lol -i think i'm going to start saying that... but then do i have to say sahntimeter?
  3. Nov 13, '12 by
    Quote from sapphire18
    CEF-uh-peem.
    lol i say cef uh pime .

    and an j'una

    total derail- but is it meto- pro - lol or metope - prolol?
  4. Guide
    Nov 13, '12 by
    Quote from jrwest

    lol i say cef uh pime .

    and an j'una

    total derail- but is it meto- pro - lol or metope - prolol?
    Meh-TOE-pro-lol. Or as I say, "lopressor." haha
    jrwest likes this.
  5. Nov 13, '12 by
    Quote from sapphire18

    Meh-TOE-pro-lol. Or as I say, "lopressor." haha
    In have always said it meh-TOP-ro-lol, have heard it as above, and also completely butchered in many amusing ways.
  6. Nov 13, '12 by
    gal i work with has butchered it two ways- meto- prolol, or even meto- propanol hahah not even close :-)
  7. Nov 14, '12 by
    Michigander here... I've heard both from profs. One was actually an english prof, i suspect she was a Canadian, however-she also said ”zed” for the letter z.