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Mile definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MILE, n. [L. mille passus, a thousand paces; passus being dropped in common usage.] A measure of length or distance, containing eight furlongs, 320 rods, poles or perches, 1760 yards, 5280 feet, or 80 chains. The Roman mile was a thousand paces, equal to 1600 yards English measure.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters [syn: mile, statute mile, stat mi, land mile, international mile, mi]
2: a unit of length used in navigation; exactly 1,852 meters; historically based on the distance spanned by one minute of arc in latitude [syn: nautical mile, mile, mi, naut mi, knot, international nautical mile, air mile]
3: a large distance; "he missed by a mile"
4: a former British unit of length once used in navigation; equivalent to 6,000 feet (1828.8 meters) [syn: sea mile, mile]
5: a former British unit of length equivalent to 6,080 feet (1,853.184 meters); 800 feet longer than a statute mile [syn: nautical mile, naut mi, mile, mi, geographical mile, Admiralty mile]
6: an ancient Roman unit of length equivalent to 1620 yards [syn: mile, Roman mile]
7: a Swedish unit of length equivalent to 10 km [syn: mile, mil, Swedish mile]
8: a footrace extending one mile; "he holds the record in the mile"

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English m?l, from Latin milia miles, from milia passuum, literally, thousands of paces, from milia, plural of mille thousand Date: before 12th century 1. any of various units of distance: as a. a unit equal to 5280 feet — see weight table b. nautical mile 2. a race of a mile 3. a relatively great distance, degree, or interval — used chiefly adverbially in plural <was miles ahead of them in education>

Britannica Concise

Any of various units of distance, incl. the statute mile of 5,280 ft (1.61 km). It originated from the Roman mille passus, or "thousand paces," which measured 5,000 Roman ft, or 4,840 English ft (1,475 km). A nautical mile is the length on earth's surface of one minute of arc, or, by international definition, 1,852 m (6,076.12 ft, or 1.1508 statute mi); it remains in universal use in both marine and air transportation. A knot is 1 nautical mile per hour. See also International System of Units, metric system.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 (also statute mile) a unit of linear measure equal to 1,760 yards (approx. 1.609 kilometres). 2 hist. a Roman measure of 1,000 paces (approx. 1,620 yards). 3 (in pl.) colloq. a great distance or amount (miles better; beat them by miles). 4 a race extending over a mile. Etymology: OE mil ult. f. L mil(l)ia pl. of mille thousand (see sense 2)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mile Mile, 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 poles or rods, or 5,280 feet. Note: The distance called a mile varies greatly in different countries. Its length in yards is, in Norway, 12,182; in Brunswick, 11,816; in Sweden, 11,660; in Hungary, 9,139; in Switzerland, 8,548; in Austria, 8,297; in Prussia, 8,238; in Poland, 8,100; in Italy, 2,025; in England and the United States, 1,760; in Spain, 1,552; in the Netherlands, 1,094. Geographical, or Nautical mile, one sixtieth of a degree of a great circle of the earth, or 6080.27 feet. Mile run. Same as Train mile. See under Train. Roman mile, a thousand paces, equal to 1,614 yards English measure. Statute mile, a mile conforming to statute, that is, in England and the United States, a mile of 5,280 feet, as distinguished from any other mile.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(miles) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A mile is a unit of distance equal to 1760 yards or approximately 1.6 kilometres. They drove 600 miles across the desert... The hurricane is moving to the west at about 18 miles per hour... She lives just half a mile away... ...a 50-mile bike ride. N-COUNT: num N 2. Miles is used, especially in the expression miles away, to refer to a long distance. If you enrol at a gym that's miles away, you won't be visiting it as often as you should... I was miles and miles from anywhere... N-PLURAL 3. Miles or a mile is used with the meaning 'very much' in order to emphasize the difference between two things or qualities, or the difference between what you aimed to do and what you actually achieved. (INFORMAL) You're miles better than most of the performers we see nowadays... With a Labour candidate in place they won by a mile... The rehearsals were miles too slow and no work was getting done. N-COUNT: usu pl [emphasis] 4. If you say that someone is miles away, you mean that they are unaware of what is happening around them because they are thinking about something else. (INFORMAL) What were you thinking about? You were miles away. PHRASE: v-link PHR 5. If you say that someone is willing to go the extra mile, you mean that they are willing to make a special effort to do or achieve something. The President is determined 'to go the extra mile for peace'. PHRASE: V inflects 6. If you say that you can see or recognize something a mile off, you are emphasizing that it is very obvious and easy to recognize. (INFORMAL) You can spot undercover cops a mile off. PHRASE: PHR after v [emphasis] 7. If you say that someone would run a mile when faced with a particular situation, you mean that they would be very frightened or unwilling to deal with it. (INFORMAL) If anybody had told me when I first got married that I was going to have seven children, I would have run a mile... PHRASE: V inflects 8. If you say that something or someone sticks out a mile or stands out a mile, you are emphasizing that they are very obvious and easy to recognize. (INFORMAL) 'How do you know he's Irish?'—'Sticks out a mile.'... PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis]

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(from Lat. mille, "a thousand;" Matt. 5:41), a Roman measure of 1,000 paces of 5 feet each. Thus the Roman mile has 1618 yards, being 142 yards shorter than the English mile.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mil (milion, Latin mille passus, milia passuum): A thousand paces, equal to 1,618 English yards. (Mt 5:41).

See WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.