Metricates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Changes a country, industry, or set of measurements over to the metric system of units such as metres and kilograms
2. Switches the units of a measurement system to the decimal metric standard based on metres, grams, and litres
3. Converts existing measures, like inches and pounds, into the internationally used metric units of length and mass

Etymology: "Metricates" is the third-person singular form of "metricate", a verb formed in English from "metric" plus the verb-forming suffix "-ate". That suffix comes through Latin "-atus" (past participle endings of first-conjugation verbs), which gave English a large family of verbs such as "activate" and "fascinate". So the word is a plain English construction rather than an inherited or borrowed term: a modern verb meaning to convert something to the metric system, built by attaching an existing suffix to an existing word.

Synonyms: metricize, convert