noun
centimeter, centimetre
A1
Zentimeter means centimeter (cm), a unit of length. It’s a masculine noun (der Zentimeter) whose plural is usually identical: Zentimeter. Genitive may appear as des Zentimeters. Used with measurements and numbers (zwei Zentimeter). No special prepositions; standard declension for measurement nouns.
Examples
Der Tisch ist neunzig Zentimeter breit.
The table is ninety centimeters wide.
Der Abstand beträgt zwanzig Zentimeter.
The distance is twenty centimetres.
Ein Meter hat hundert Zentimeter.
One meter is one hundred centimeters.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a ruler marked in centimeters to remember 'Zentimeter'.
der Zentimeter — masculine: think 'der' ruler.
Notes
Often abbreviated 'cm'. Can be treated as masculine (der Zentimeter).