Adjacent Words

Unit definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

U'NIT, n. [L. unus, one; unitas, unity.]
1. One; a word which denotes a single thing or person; the least whole number.
Units are the integral parts of any large number.
2. In mathematics, any known determinate quantity, by the constant repetition of which, any other quantity of the same kind is measured. [See Unity.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange; "the dollar is the United States unit of currency"; "a unit of wheat is a bushel"; "change per unit volume" [syn: unit of measurement, unit]
2: an individual or group or structure or other entity regarded as a structural or functional constituent of a whole; "the reduced the number of units and installations"; "the word is a basic linguistic unit"
3: an organization regarded as part of a larger social group; "the coach said the offensive unit did a good job"; "after the battle the soldier had trouble rejoining his unit" [syn: unit, social unit]
4: a single undivided whole; "an idea is not a unit that can be moved from one brain to another"
5: a single undivided natural thing occurring in the composition of something else; "units of nucleic acids" [syn: unit, building block]
6: an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; "how big is that part compared to the whole?"; "the team is a unit" [syn: whole, unit]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: back-formation from unity Date: 1570 1. a. the first and least natural number ; one b. a single quantity regarded as a whole in calculation 2. a determinate quantity (as of length, time, heat, or value) adopted as a standard of measurement: as a. an amount of work used in education in calculating student credits b. an amount of a biologically active agent (as a drug or antigen) required to produce a specific result — compare international unit 3. a. a single thing, person, or group that is a constituent of a whole b. a part of a military establishment that has a prescribed organization (as of personnel and materiel) c. a piece or complex of apparatus serving to perform one particular function d. a part of a school course focusing on a central theme e. a local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses f. a small molecule especially when combined in a larger molecule <repeating units of a polymer> g. an area in a medical facility and especially a hospital that is specially staffed and equipped to provide a particular type of care <an intensive care unit> II. adjective Date: 1839 being, relating to, or measuring one unit

U.S. Military Dictionary

1. Any military element whose structure is prescribed by competent authority, such as a table of organization and equipment; specifically, part of an organization. 2. An organization title of a subdivision of a group in a task force. 3. A standard or basic quantity into which an item of supply is divided, issued, or used. In this meaning, also called unit of issue. 4. With regard to Reserve Components of the Armed Forces, denotes a Selected Reserve unit organized, equipped, and trained for mobilization to serve on active duty as a unit or to augment or be augmented by another unit. Headquarters and support functions without wartime missions are not considered units.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a an individual thing, person, or group regarded as single and complete, esp. for purposes of calculation. b each of the (smallest) separate individuals or groups into which a complex whole may be analysed (the family as the unit of society). 2 a quantity chosen as a standard in terms of which other quantities may be expressed (unit of heat; SI unit; mass per unit volume). 3 Brit. the smallest share in a unit trust. 4 a device with a specified function forming part of a complex mechanism. 5 a piece of furniture for fitting with others like it or made of complementary parts. 6 a group with a special function in an organization. 7 a group of buildings, wards, etc., in a hospital. 8 the number 'one'. Phrases and idioms: unit cell Crystallog. the smallest repeating group of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystal. unit cost the cost of producing one item of manufacture. unit-holder Brit. a person with a holding in a unit trust. unit price the price charged for each unit of goods supplied. unit trust Brit. an investment company investing combined contributions from many persons in various securities and paying them dividends in proportion to their holdings. Etymology: L unus, prob. after DIGIT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Unit U"nit, n. [Abbrev. from unity.] 1. A single thing or person. 2. (Arith.) The least whole number; one. Units are the integral parts of any large number. --I. Watts. 3. A gold coin of the reign of James I., of the value of twenty shillings. --Camden. 4. Any determinate amount or quantity (as of length, time, heat, value) adopted as a standard of measurement for other amounts or quantities of the same kind. 5. (Math.) A single thing, as a magnitude or number, regarded as an undivided whole. Abstract unit, the unit of numeration; one taken in the abstract; the number represented by 1. The term is used in distinction from concrete, or determinate, unit, that is, a unit in which the kind of thing is expressed; a unit of measure or value; as 1 foot, 1 dollar, 1 pound, and the like. Complex unit (Theory of Numbers), an imaginary number of the form a + broot-1, when a^2 + b^2 = 1. Duodecimal unit, a unit in the scale of numbers increasing or decreasing by twelves. Fractional unit, the unit of a fraction; the reciprocal of the denominator; thus, 1/4 is the unit of the fraction 3/4. Integral unit, the unit of integral numbers, or 1. Physical unit, a value or magnitude conventionally adopted as a unit or standard in physical measurements. The various physical units are usually based on given units of length, mass, and time, and on the density or other properties of some substance, for example, water. See Dyne, Erg, Farad, Ohm, Poundal, etc. Unit deme (Biol.), a unit of the inferior order or orders of individuality. Unit jar (Elec.), a small, insulated Leyden jar, placed between the electrical machine and a larger jar or battery, so as to announce, by its repeated discharges, the amount of electricity passed into the larger jar. Unit of heat (Physics), a determinate quantity of heat adopted as a unit of measure; a thermal unit (see under Thermal). Water is the substance generally employed, the unit being one gram or one pound, and the temperature interval one degree of the Centigrade or Fahrenheit scale. When referred to the gram, it is called the gram degree. The British unit of heat, or thermal unit, used by engineers in England and in the United States, is the quantity of heat necessary to raise one pound of pure water at and near its temperature of greatest density (39.1[deg] Fahr.) through one degree of the Fahrenheit scale. --Rankine. Unit of illumination, the light of a sperm candle burning 120 grains per hour. Standard gas, burning at the rate of five cubic feet per hour, must have an illuminating power equal to that of fourteen such candles. Unit of measure (as of length, surface, volume, dry measure, liquid measure, money, weight, time, and the like), in general, a determinate quantity or magnitude of the kind designated, taken as a standard of comparison for others of the same kind, in assigning to them numerical values, as 1 foot, 1 yard, 1 mile, 1 square foot, 1 square yard, 1 cubic foot, 1 peck, 1 bushel, 1 gallon, 1 cent, 1 ounce, 1 pound, 1 hour, and the like; more specifically, the fundamental unit adopted in any system of weights, measures, or money, by which its several denominations are regulated, and which is itself defined by comparison with some known magnitude, either natural or empirical, as, in the United States, the dollar for money, the pound avoirdupois for weight, the yard for length, the gallon of 8.3389 pounds avoirdupois of water at 39.8[deg] Fahr. (about 231 cubic inches) for liquid measure, etc.; in Great Britain, the pound sterling, the pound troy, the yard, or 1/108719 part of the length of a second's pendulum at London, the gallon of 277.274 cubic inches, etc.; in the metric system, the meter, the liter, the gram, etc. Unit of power. (Mach.) See Horse power. Unit of resistance. (Elec.) See Resistance, n., 4, and Ohm. Unit of work (Physics), the amount of work done by a unit force acting through a unit distance, or the amount required to lift a unit weight through a unit distance against gravitation. See Erg, Foot Pound, Kilogrammeter. Unit stress (Mech. Physics), stress per unit of area; intensity of stress. It is expressed in ounces, pounds, tons, etc., per square inch, square foot, or square yard, etc., or in atmospheres, or inches of mercury or water, or the like.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(units) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If you consider something as a unit, you consider it as a single, complete thing. Agriculture was based in the past on the family as a unit. N-COUNT 2. A unit is a group of people who work together at a specific job, often in a particular place. ...the health services research unit... N-COUNT 3. A unit is a group within an armed force or police force, whose members fight or work together or carry out a particular task. One secret military unit tried to contaminate the drinking water of the refugees... Two small Marine units have been trapped inside the city for the last 36 hours. N-COUNT: oft supp N 4. A unit is a small machine which has a particular function, often part of a larger machine. The unit plugs into any TV set. N-COUNT 5. A unit of measurement is a fixed standard quantity, length, or weight that is used for measuring things. The litre, the centimetre, and the ounce are all units. N-COUNT 6. A unit is one of the parts that a textbook is divided into. = module N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. One.

Moby Thesaurus

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