Here's a survey of the dozen print dictionaries in our library, in reverse
chronological order of copyright date. Several have comments on the issue,
which I quote. In the summary below, KIL means the first syllable is
stressed, LOM means second syllable is stressed, 1st means listed first, 2nd
means listed second. Except for the OED, all of these dictionaries are U.S.
publications. Many use "Websters" in the title even though they are
unrelated. Apparently, the name is not trademarked and they hope to cash in
on the fame of Noah Webster, the pioneering American lexicographer.
Unfortunately, it would appear that LOM is gaining dictionary credibility
over time, and in fact the great majority of native American speakers do say
LOM unless specifically taught otherwise. I wonder if there is a more recent
edition of the NBC Handbook of Pronunciation for broadcasters?
1996 Random House Webster's College Dictionary: LOM 1st, KIL 2nd.
"The usual pronunciation both for units of measurement starting with kilo-
(kilocalorie, kiloliter) and for units of length ending in the base word
meter (centimeter, hectometer) gives primary stress to the first syllable
and secondary to the third. Logically, kilometer should follow this pattern,
and in fact has been pronounced (kil'o meter) since the early 1800s. A
pronunciation with stress on the second syllable, (ki lom'i ter), was first
recorded in America before 1830. It is reinforced by words for instruments
(rather than units) of measurement ending in -meter (thermometer, barometer)
having stress on the -om syllable. Although criticized on the basis of
analogy, this pronunciation has persisted in American English and gained
popularity in Britain. Both pronunciations are used by educated speakers,
including members of the scientific community."
1988 New Lexicon Webster's Dictionary (Lexicon Pubs, N.Y., based on Larousse
1972): KIL 1st, LOM 2nd
1987 Random House unabridged: LOM 1st, KIL 2nd. [same long explanatory
paragraph as RH Webster's College, quoted above]
198? Merriam-Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary: LOM 1st, KIL 2nd "Not
parallel with other metric system compounds."
1982 World Book Dictionary (Thorndike-Barnhart): LOM 1st, KIL 2nd
1981 New Websters Dictionary of English Language (Delair Pub.): KIL 1st,
LOM 2nd
1976 Websters New 20th Century Dictionary, 2nd Ed., unabridged (Collins):
KIL only
1973 American Heritage Dictionary (Houghton-Mifflin): KIL 1st, LOM 2nd
1971 Merriam-Webster, Webster's 3rd New International Dictionary,
Unabridged: LOM 1st, KIL 2nd, but LOM is marked with a code indicating that
"many regard as unacceptable." This is the largest American dictionary and
the one usually found on library reference stands, although we don't have
the latest edition.
1964 NBC Handbook of Pronunciation, 3rd edition: KIL only
1960 Brittanica World Language Edition of Funk and Wagnalls Standard
Dictionary: KIL 1st, LOM 2nd
1933 Oxford English Dictionary [the OED is the definitive etymological
English Dictionary at 15 000 pages!]: KIL only, but with the comment "(The
stress is marked by Webster (1828), Craig, and Cassel as kilo'metre.)"
-----Original Message-----
Bill Potts wrote:
I don't know which ones you are using, but Webster's New Universal
Unabridged and the American Heritage Dictionary both put KILometer first. My
1962 Funk and Wagnall's Britannica World Language Dictionary also puts the
correct pronunciation first.
The Illustrated Oxford Dictionary, on the other hand, gives the wrong
pronunciation first.
To its enormous discredit, the Oxford American Dictionary gives only
kilOMeter.
