Micro (Greek letter μ (U+03BC) or the legacy symbol µ (U+00B5)) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of 10−6 (one millionth). Confirmed in 1960, the prefix comes from the Greek μικρός (mikrós), meaning "small".
The symbol for the prefix is the Greek letter μ (mu). It is the only SI prefix which uses a character not from the Latin alphabet. "mc" is commonly used as a prefix when the character "μ" is not available; for example, "mcg" commonly denotes a microgram. This is ambiguous, in that mcg could also be read as a micrigram, i.e. 10−14 g, the prefix micri is not standard, nor widely known, and considered obsolete. The letter u, instead of μ, is allowed by an ISO document.
ExamplesTypical bacteria are 1 to 10 micrometres in diameter.Eukaryotic cells are typically 10 to 100 micrometres in diameter. referenceFull Form | Category |
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Micro- | Chemistry |
Micro- (one Millionth) | Measurement Unit |
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