Abbreviation for kilograms, the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI). Commonly used in scientific, commercial, and everyday contexts for measuring weight.
From French 'kilogramme', coined in 1795 during the French Revolution as part of the metric system. Combines Greek 'khilioi' (thousand) with 'gramma' (small weight), literally meaning 'thousand grams'.
The kilogram is unique among SI base units because it's the only one still defined by a physical artifact – the International Prototype Kilogram stored in France, though this changed to a quantum definition in 2019. This small platinum-iridium cylinder was literally the standard by which all other masses on Earth were measured, making it perhaps the most important piece of metal in human civilization.
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