gram

[ gram ]

See synonyms for gram on Thesaurus.com

noun

a metric unit of mass or weight equal to 15.432 grains; one thousandth of a kilogram. Abbreviation: g

Origin of gram

1790–1800; <French gramme<Late Latin gramma a small weight <Greek grámma something drawn, a small weight

Also especially British, gramme .

Other definitions for gram (2 of 7)

gram²

[ gram ]

noun

(in the East Indies) the chickpea used as a food for people and cattle.
any of several other beans, as the mung bean, Vigna radiata(green gram, or golden gram ), or the urd, V. mungo(black gram ).

Origin of gram

First recorded in 1695–1705; from Portuguese grão, from Latin grānum “seed, grain, kernel”; see origin at grain

Other definitions for Gram (3 of 7)

Gram

[ grahm ]

noun

(in the Volsunga Saga) the sword of Sigmund, broken by Odin, repaired by Regin, and used again by Sigurd in killing Fafnir.

Origin of Gram

From the Old Norse word Gramr literally, angry, evil

Compare Balmung.

Other definitions for -gram (4 of 7)

-gram¹

a combining form occurring in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “something written,” “drawing” (epigram; diagram); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (oscillogram).

Origin of -gram

⁴

<Greek -gramma, combining form of grámma something written or drawn; akin to carve

Compare -graph.

Other definitions for -gram (5 of 7)

-gram²

a combining form of gram¹: kilogram.

Other definitions for -gram (6 of 7)

-gram³

a combining form extracted from telegram, used in the formation of compound words that have the general sense “message, bulletin”: culturegram; electiongram; prophecy-gram.

Other definitions for gram. (7 of 7)

gram.

abbreviation

grammar.
grammarian.

grammatical.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gram in a sentence

Furthermore, a person with norovirus has about 70 billion viral particles per gram of stool.
A Doctor Explains Why Cruise Ships Should Be Banned | Kent Sepkowitz | November 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The European formula for Fireball has even less: under one gram per kilogram of propylene glycol.
Europeans Recall Fireball Whiskey Over a Sweetener Also Used in Antifreeze | Tim Mak | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Wax can cost a hundred dollars a gram, while buds are as cheap as $20 these days.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs | Daniel Genis | July 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Food business groups argue that a gram of sugar, natural or added, is a gram of sugar—so why distinguish it?
Guess Who Doesn’t Want You to Know How Much Added Sugar Is in Your Food | Tim Mak | July 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He was, he said, amazed that “a fraction of a gram of sugar had rendered [him] unconscious.”
The Week in Death: Alexander Shulgrin, Who Synthesized the Drug Ecstasy | The Telegraph | June 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Recognition of the pneumococcus depends upon its morphology, the fact that it is gram-staining, and the presence of a capsule.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
The great majority belong to the colon bacillus group, and are negative to gram's method of staining.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
A gram-positive stool due to cocci is suggestive of intestinal ulceration.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
gram's method (p. 40) is a very useful aid in distinguishing certain bacteria.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
This is a minute, slender rod, which lies within and between the pus-corpuscles (Fig. 125), and is negative to gram's stain.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for gram (1 of 5)

gram¹

/ (ɡræm) /

noun

a metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram. It is equivalent to 15.432 grains or 0.002 205 pounds: Symbol: g

Origin of gram

C18: from French gramme, from Late Latin gramma, from Greek: small weight, from graphein to write

British Dictionary definitions for gram (2 of 5)

gram²

/ (ɡræm) /

noun

any of several leguminous plants, such as the beans Phaseolus mungo (black gram or urd) and P. aureus (green gram), whose seeds are used as food in India
the seed of any of these plants

Origin of gram

C18: from Portuguese gram (modern spelling grão), from Latin grānum grain

British Dictionary definitions for gram (3 of 5)

gram³

/ (ɡrɑːm) /

noun

(in India) a village

Origin of gram

Hindi

British Dictionary definitions for -gram (4 of 5)

-gram

n combining form

indicating a drawing or something written or recorded: hexagram; telegram

Origin of -gram

⁴

from Latin -gramma, from Greek, from gramma letter and grammē line

British Dictionary definitions for gram. (5 of 5)

gram.

abbreviation for

grammar
grammatical

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for gram (1 of 2)

gram

[ grăm ]

A unit of mass in the metric system, equal to 0.001 kilogram or 0.035 ounce. See Table at measurement.

Scientific definitions for Gram (2 of 2)

Gram

[ gräm, grăm ]

Danish bacteriologist who in 1884 developed a method of staining bacteria, called Gram's stain or Gram's dye, that is used to identify and classify bacteria, often from samples of infected body fluids. The classification, called gram-negative or gram-positive, can be useful in the initial selection of antibiotics to treat the infection.

Cultural definitions for gram

gram

The basic unit of measurement for mass in the metric system; one cubic centimeter of water has a mass of approximately one gram.

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