KILOGRAM

kilogram, kg, kilo

(noun) one thousand grams; the basic unit of mass adopted under the Systeme International d’Unites; “a kilogram is approximately 2.2 pounds”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

kilogram (plural kilograms)

In the International System of Units, the base unit of mass; conceived of as the mass of one litre of water, but now defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant h to be 6.626 070 15 × 10^-34 when expressed in units of kg⋅m²⋅s⁻¹. Symbol: kg

(proscribed) The unit of weight such that a one-kilogram mass is also a one-kilogram weight.

Usage notes

• (proscribed, unit of weight): The use of the kilogram as a unit of weight is somewhat imprecise, as weight can change while mass remains constant. The weight of a one-kilogram mass will depend on its location because the pull of gravity varies from one place to another. It is therefore frequently proscribed but is nonetheless in wide use (e.g, a person's weight in kilograms). (The same imprecision and proscription also occur with many other words pertaining to weight and mass, such as the verb weigh.)

• Whilst one kilogram equals 1,000 grams, it is the kilogram and not the gram that is the base unit.

Synonyms

• kilo

• kg

Source: Wiktionary

Kil"o*gram, Kil"o*gramme, n. Etym: [F. kilogramme; pref. kilo- (fr. Gr. chi`lioi a thousand ) + gramme. See 3d Gram.]

Definition: A measure of weight, being a thousand grams, equal to 2.2046 pounds avoirdupois (15,432.34 grains). It is equal to the weight of a cubic decimeter of distilled water at the temperature of maximum density, or 39º Fahrenheit.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition