absolute unit meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

absolute unit

noun

US /ˈæb.səˌlut ˈju.nɪt/

Etymology Compound of absolute (“independent, not relative”) + unit. Attested from the 19th century. Compare various scientific terms with prefix ab-, such as abohm.

Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics A unit of measurement that can be defined in terms of mass, length, and time.

absolute unit

noun

Etymology Compounded of British colloquial senses of absolute (“utter, complete”) + unit (“physically large person”). Attested from the 2010s.

Australia, Internet, UK, Humorous An exceptionally large or stout person.

Liverpool BMX president Neil Cameron said, despite the name, [Kama Kazi] is a "lovely bloke", "great with the kids" and also an "absolute unit".2006 February 15, “Sticky Beak”, in Liverpool Leader, Factiva:LIVLEA0020060215e22f00005:

Broadly Anything exceptionally large for its type.

In response to an already pretty embarrassing MIT Technology Review tweet calling the world’s biggest airplane an absolute unit, Musk stopped giggling into his hands just long enough to reply, “I’m an absolute unit too.”2019 April 18, Reid McCarter, “Bad news, everyone: Elon Musk has discovered the ‘absolute unit’ meme”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 27 Jul 2019: