GRAM

also spelled gramme, unit of mass or weight that is used especially in the centimetre-gram-second system of measurement. One gram is equal to 0.001 kilogram, or about 0.04 ounce. Abbreviated gm, or g, the gram is very nearly equal (it was originally intended to be equal; see metric system) to the mass of one cubic centimetre of pure water at 4 C (39.2 F), the point it reaches its maximum density. The gram of force is equal to the weight of a gram of mass under standard gravity. For greater precision, the mass may be weighed at a point at which the acceleration due to gravity is 980.655 cm/sec2.