1. Plural of nanometre; units of length equal to one billionth of a metre (10⁻⁹ m), commonly used to measure atomic and molecular dimensions.
Usage: British spelling; American equivalent is 'nanometers'; Standard unit in nanotechnology and materials science

Examples

• The diameter of a single DNA molecule is approximately 2 nanometres.
• Nanotechnology operates at the scale of nanometres, allowing scientists to manipulate individual atoms.
• Gold nanoparticles measuring just 20 nanometres can be used in medical imaging.
• The wavelength of visible light ranges from about 400 to 700 nanometres.
• Researchers measured the thickness of the coating in nanometres using electron microscopy.