A metric unit of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms, used mainly outside the United States.
From French 'tonne,' which came from Old English 'tun' (a large cask or barrel). Since a barrel of standard goods had a predictable weight, 'tun' became a unit of measurement for mass.
There's actually a confusing trio: a tonne (metric, 1,000 kg used globally), a ton (American, 907 kg), and a ton (British, 1,016 kg)—this measurement chaos is why scientists always use kilograms to avoid international confusion!
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