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deciliter abbreviation

phrase, abbreviation·Advanced

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UK/ˈdesɪliːtə əˌbriːviˈeɪʃn/
US/ˈdesəliːtər əˌbriːviˈeɪʃn/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phrasetechnical

    The short written form used for a deciliter, a unit of volume equal to one tenth of a liter.

    Grammar: Used as a noun phrase when talking about the symbol itself: the deciliter abbreviation is dL.

    Patterns

    • the deciliter abbreviation is dL
    • write the deciliter abbreviation as dL

    The deciliter abbreviation is dL, so 5 deciliters can be written as 5 dL.

    On the label, glucose was given in mg/dL, where dL stands for the deciliter abbreviation.

    Students often ask what the deciliter abbreviation is before they read blood test results.

  2. abbreviationtechnical

    The symbol dL, used after a number to show an amount measured in deciliters.

    Grammar: Written directly after the number with no space in many styles: 2 dL.

    Patterns

    • measured in dL
    • X dL of something

    The recipe calls for 3 dL of milk, which is about one and a quarter cups.

    Doctors recorded the patient's blood sugar as 90 mg/dL.

    Add 1 dL of water to the mixture and stir well.

Common combinations

mg/dL
Cholesterol levels are often reported in mg/dL in the United States.
g/dL
Hemoglobin is usually measured in g/dL.
dL of blood
A healthy adult has about 50 dL of blood in the body.
per deciliter
The reading was 120 milligrams per deciliter.
one tenth of a liter
One deciliter is one tenth of a liter.

Synonyms and how they differ

dL
This is the actual symbol itself; the phrase deciliter abbreviation refers to the symbol rather than using it.
decilitre
British spelling of the full unit; the abbreviation dL is the same in both spellings.

Word family

liter noun
The base unit of volume; a deciliter is one tenth of it.
milliliter noun
A smaller unit of volume, one thousandth of a liter, abbreviated mL.
centiliter noun
A unit of volume equal to one hundredth of a liter, abbreviated cL.
deciliter noun
The full word for the unit that dL stands for.

Commonly confused: deciliter abbreviation or mL? deciliter abbreviation or dL?

deciliter abbreviation vs mL

mL means milliliter, which is ten times smaller than a deciliter; mixing them up changes a measurement by a factor of ten.

deciliter abbreviation vs dL

dL is the abbreviation itself; learners sometimes confuse the capital L with a lowercase l when typing.

Practice

A blood test result shows '14 g/dL'. What does dL stand for here?

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