kilogram

[ kil-uh-gram ]

noun

1. a unit of mass equal to 1,000 grams: the basic unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI). Up until 2019 the kilogram was defined as equal to the mass of an international prototype, a platinum-iridium cylinder kept in Sèvres, France. The kilogram has since been redefined in terms of universal physical constants, including the speed of light and Planck's constant. : kg
2. a unit of force and weight, equal to the force that produces an acceleration of 9.80665 meters per second per second when acting on a mass of one kilogram. : kg

kilogram

/ ˈkɪləʊˌɡræm /

noun

1. one thousand grams
2. the basic SI unit of mass, equal to the mass of the international prototype held by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures. One kilogram is equivalent to 2.204 62 pounds

kilogram

/ kĭl′ə-grăm′ /

1. The basic unit of mass in the metric system, equal to 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds).
2. See Table at measurement

kilogram

1. A unit of mass in the metric system , equal to one thousand grams . The weight of a one-kilogram mass is slightly over two pounds.

Word History and Origins

Origin of kilogram¹

From the French word kilogramme, dating back to 1790–1800. See kilo-, -gram ²

Example Sentences

It’s primarily derived from fossil fuels by subjecting methane to steam, high heat, and pressure to break it into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and costs about $1 per kilogram.

From Singularity Hub 

You can just eyeball it—oh, this is obviously pounds or kilograms.

From MIT Technology Review

The labels estimate a product’s environmental impact from cradle to grave as a carbon equivalent reflecting the greenhouse gas emissions or CO2e spent in its creation, transportation, use and end of life, as measured in grams or kilograms of carbon.

From Washington Post

So instead, we used 3D digital scanning technology which allowed us to virtually carry thousands of kilograms of dinosaur bones in one seven kilogram laptop.

From The Daily Beast

In a paper in Science Advances, they report that producing new PDK would cost around $45 per kilogram and result in about 86 kilograms of CO2 equivalent per kilogram.

From Singularity Hub 

The European formula for Fireball has even less: under one gram per kilogram of propylene glycol.

From The Daily Beast

There is, of course, cheapness to be considered -- the dollar per kilogram bill for putting a payload into low earth orbit.

From The Daily Beast

Rhino horn is particularly lucrative—each kilogram can fetch up to $66,000.

From The Daily Beast

This is a measure (in watts per kilogram) of how much of the emitted radiation is absorbed by biological tissue.

From The Daily Beast

A Calorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water from zero to one degree Centigrade.

From Project Gutenberg

Half a kilogram (eighteen ounces) is considered the portion for each person.

From Project Gutenberg

A Calorie is the amount of heat required to raise one kilogram of water 1° Centigrade or one pound of water 4° Fahrenheit.

From Project Gutenberg

This work or its equivalent would be accomplished by a steam-engine in the course of burning one kilogram (two pounds) of coal.

From Project Gutenberg

They take the water which is used to determine the weight of the kilogram, keeping it at the temperature of 4C.

From Project Gutenberg