Units of weight equal to one-thousandth of a gram; used to measure medicine, vitamins, and tiny amounts.
A compound of 'milli-' (from Latin 'mille' meaning thousand) and 'gram' (from Greek 'gramma' meaning written mark or weight). The metric system created this word in late 18th-century France as scientists needed precise measurements.
Aspirin tablets are usually 325 or 500 milligrams—that sounds precise, but dosing medicines is tricky because a milligram can be the difference between helpful and harmful! Drug companies use incredibly precise scales that can measure single molecules.
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