centiliter

/ˌsɛntəˈlidər/

Other forms: centiliters

A centiliter is one-hundredth of a liter, a metric measure of liquid volume. Large soda bottles sold in grocery stores are usually two-liter bottles: if someone offers you a centiliter, don't expect your thirst to be quenched.

A centiliter, often abbreviated cL, is about one-third of a U.S. fluid ounce. It's used in the metric system, in which the base unit of volume is a liter. One liter is 100 centiliters. The milliliter, which is one-thousandth of a liter, is used more often, showing up frequently in the United States in medicine and science. Thanks to the simplicity of the metric system, which is a base 10 system, conversion between units is easy: 1 centiliter = 10 milliliters.

Definitions of centiliter

1. noun

   a metric unit of volume equal to one hundredth of a liter
   synonyms: centilitre, cl

   type of:

   metric capacity unit

   a capacity unit defined in metric terms