What does gram mean?
A gram is a small metric unit of mass, abbreviated g and equal to one thousandth of a kilogram or 1,000 milligrams. It is used wherever a precise but relatively small weight is important, such as measuring ingredients, scientific substances, gold, or other valuable materials. The plural is grams, as in “25 grams of sugar,” while the symbol g is used in technical writing and often follows a numeral with a space, as in “25 g.” The term has no marked social or emotional connotations and is equally familiar in British and American English. Its history is unexpectedly broad: gram entered English through French gramme, which came from the Greek gramma, a word associated with writing and with a small weight. The same Greek root also gave English words such as grammar, paragraph, diagram, and program.
nounA gram (symbol g) is a metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram, or 1,000 milligrams.
- A metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram or 1,000 milligrams.
"The jeweller weighed the gold to within a gram."
"The parcel weighs 250 grams."
"She added a gram of yeast to the warm water."
Use the singular a gram for one unit and the plural grams for larger quantities, especially after a numeral.
"The parcel weighed 750 grams."
The word's Greek ancestor meant “letter” before it became one of the metric system's smallest everyday units of mass.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gram come from?
The English word gram came through French gramme from Greek gramma, meaning “letter” or “small weight.” The Greek grammon, meaning “a thing written,” was ultimately related to graphein, “to write.” The metric unit developed from the historical sense of a very small weight, while several other English words descend from the same Greek written-letter root.
Related word forms
How gram is actually used
The word is neutral in register and used in both formal and everyday contexts. The written form gramme is chiefly British.
Easily confused with gram
A gram is a unit of mass, whereas grammar is the system of rules that governs the use of a language.