liter
UK[ˈliːtə(r)]US[ˈliːtər]
n
A metric unit of capacity, equal to one cubic decimeter or 1.76 pints.
Etymology
The word 'liter' entered English in the late 18th century from the French 'litre', a term adopted during the development of the metric system in revolutionary France. The French term itself was derived from 'litron', an archaic measure of capacity, which traced back to Medieval Latin 'litra', borrowed from the Greek 'λίτρα', a Sicilian unit of weight. The logic of its journey is one of linguistic borrowing and standardization: a Greek term for weight was adapted into Latin, evolved in French as a measure of volume, and was finally systematized as a precise metric unit of capacity before being adopted into English and many other languages.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword. Its core component, 'lit-', originates from the French 'litre', which was taken from an older French unit 'litron'. The ultimate source is Medieval Latin 'litra', from Greek 'λίτρα' (litra), a unit of weight.
Examples
The recipe calls for one liter of milk.
This car's engine has a displacement of two liters.
She bought a liter of mineral water at the store.