gram

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈgram 

: any of several leguminous plants (such as a chickpea) grown especially for their seed

also : their seeds

gram

2 of 5

noun (2)

ˈgram 

1

: a metric unit of mass equal to ¹/₁₀₀₀ kilogram and nearly equal to the mass of one cubic centimeter of water at its maximum density see Metric System Table

2

: the weight of a gram under the acceleration of gravity

gram

3 of 5

noun (3)

: grandmother

gram

4 of 5

abbreviation

grammar; grammatical

-gram

5 of 5

noun combining form

: drawing : writing : record

chronogram

telegram

Examples of gram in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

An eggshell typically contains 2.2 grams, or 2,200 mg, of calcium,2 which is a whole lot more than the 4 mg obtained by boiling it in water. —Stacey Leasca, Southern Living, 7 May 2024

So a single ice cube with a mass of 50 grams would take 16,700 joules. —Rhett Allain, WIRED, 4 May 2024

It is widely recommended that adults consume 15-35 grams of fiber daily, although many Americans fall short. —Casey Seiden, Verywell Health, 3 May 2024

Topping it with a fried egg seemed like a good way to get a protein boost, but even then that only gave me six extra grams of the stuff, and kind of defeated the whole goal of not having any dirty dishes to deal with in the a.m. —Audrey Bruno, SELF, 3 May 2024

Griner was arrested at the Moscow Airport in February 2022, when officials found two vape cartridges in her backpack with 0.7 grams of cannabis oil. —J Wortham, New York Times, 2 May 2024

In February, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began cracking down further on PM2.5, reducing the permissible concentration of the particles from 12 micrograms (or millionths of a gram) per cubic meter of air to 9 micrograms. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 2 May 2024

Like others in the series, the Mini 2 4K weighs just 249 grams, so there's no need for recreational pilots to register it with the FAA before flying; licensed pilots will still need to register the drone, however. —Jim Fisher, PCMAG, 30 Apr. 2024

One cup of pineapple chunks contains 16.3 grams of sugar, which is lower than several other fruit's sugar contents, including pears, oranges, apples, cherries and mangoes, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Search database. —Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

obsolete Portuguese (now spelled grão), grain, from Latin granum

Noun (2)

French gramme, from Late Latin gramma, a small weight, from Greek grammat-, gramma letter, writing, a small weight, from graphein to write — more at carve

Noun (3)

by shortening & alteration

Noun combining form

Latin -gramma, from Greek, from gramma

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1702, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1923, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gram

• centimeter-gram-second
• gram-atomic weight
• gram calorie
• gram equivalent
• gram molecular weight
• gram-negative
• gram-positive
• gram-variable

Kids Definition

gram

1 of 2 noun

ˈgram

1

: a metric unit of mass equal to ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ kilogram and nearly equal to the mass of one cubic centimeter of water at its maximum density see metric system

2

: the weight of a gram of mass

-gram

2 of 2 noun combining form

ˌgram

: drawing : writing : record

telegram

Etymology

Noun combining form

from Latin -gramma "piece of writing, record," derived from Greek gramma "letter," derived from graphein "to write" — related to graffito, grammar, -graph

Medical Definition

gram

noun

variants or chiefly British gramme

ˈgram 

1

: a metric unit of mass equal to ¹/₁₀₀₀ kilogram and nearly equal to the mass of one cubic centimeter of water at its maximum density

—abbreviation g

2

: the weight of a gram under standard gravity