noun
caliber
KAL-uh-ber/ˈkæləbər/
The measured internal diameter of a gun barrel.
The specification lists the rifle barrel's internal diameter as its caliber.
Etymology
French calibre connects a gun barrel’s internal diameter with a figurative measure of merit or capacity. The quality sense was already present in the earliest English uses, and the deeper origin is disputed.
In context
I would just be meeting just a different caliber of people period like UT has the top six percent people in like Texas
More examples
- The museum displayed bullets of several calibers.
- The gunsmith measures the barrel to determine its caliber.
- The display compares rifle barrels of different calibers.
Forms
caliber · calibers
Similar words
- diameter
- A general measurement across a circle, while caliber has specialized barrel and quality senses.