"one millionth of a meter," 1892, coined 1880 in French from Greek mikron, neuter of mikros "small" (see mica).
micron mi·cron or mi·kron (mī'krŏn')
n. pl. mi·crons or mi·cra (-krə) or mi·krons or mi·kra (-krə)
Abbr. μm See micrometer.
micron (mī'krŏn') See micrometer2. |
metric unit of measure for length equal to 0.00l mm, or about 0.000039 inch. Its symbol is mum. The micrometre is commonly employed to measure the thickness or diameter of microscopic objects, such as microorganisms and colloidal particles. Minute distances, as, for example, the wavelengths of infrared radiation, are also given in micrometres.