perimeter

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the total length of the boundary of a two-dimensional shape

   The rectangle has a perimeter of thirty centimeters.

2. 2
   noun

   the outer boundary of an area or the zone immediately inside it

   Security guards patrol the perimeter of the airport.

From Latin perimetros, from Ancient Greek perimetros ("circumference"), formed from peri- ("around") + metron ("measure"). The literal meaning is therefore "measure around."

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