rpm
|ar-pee-em|
🇺🇸
/ɑr piː ɛm/
🇬🇧
/ɑː piː ɛm/
turns per minute
Etymology
'rpm' originates from English, specifically the phrase 'revolutions per minute', where 'revolution' comes from Latin 'revolutio' meaning 'a turn' or 'a rolling back'.
'revolution' derives from Latin 'revolutio' (from 'revolvĕre' meaning 'to turn back'), passed into Old French and Middle English as 'revolution', and the abbreviation 'rpm' was formed in modern English as a technical shorthand in the 19th–20th centuries for measuring rotational speed.
Initially 'revolution' meant 'a turn'; over time the term has been used to quantify rotations, and 'rpm' evolved into a standard technical abbreviation meaning 'turns per minute' or the measured rate of rotation.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
abbreviation for 'revolutions per minute', a unit measuring the number of full rotations completed in one minute.
The motor runs at 3,000 rpm under full load.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a reading or indication of rotational speed (for example, on a tachometer), expressed in revolutions per minute.
Check the rpm on the gauge before shifting gears.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/16 20:37