Etymology

Manhattan distance

Man·hat·tan dis·tance

Today it means: Synonym of taxicab distance (“the distance between two points on a grid, where the only path allowed is along horizontal and vertical lines”). Full definition →

First used late 1970s
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The story

From Manhattan + distance, referring to the gridlike street geography of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States.

First known use, by meaning

  • from late 1970s Synonym of taxicab distance (“the distance between two points on a grid, where the only path allowed is along horizontal and vertical lines”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.