Meaning

noun the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

noun (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse

noun rhythm as given by division into parts of equal duration

originFrom French mètre, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”). Doublet of meter, metron, and mether.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0