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mcg

mcg

4 4.6
A very small mass equal to one millionth of a gram used in medicine
  • noun
  • /ɛm si dʒi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mcg
  • During his final stay in the hospital, toxicology tests showed 4,895 mcg of arsenic in his system.
  • mcg ethinyloestradiol
  • mcg of salbutamol
  • mcg misoprostol

Examples

  • During pregnancy, 10 mcg of vitamin D daily is recommended.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Patches are available in strengths of 25, 50, 75, and 100 mcg/hr for 3 days.

    Academic text (2007)
  • About six years ago, I was on 150 mcg, and I felt best on that dosage.

    Blog text (31)
  • When I was taken off Levo, I was on .275 mcg, and my TSH was still out of range.

    Blog text (16)
  • After administration of misoprostol in doses ranging from 200 mcg to 600 mcg, there was a significant increase in uterine pressure.

    Academic text (1992)
  • A prenatal supplement with 400 to 600 mcg of vitamin B folic acid should be taken.

    Blog text (12)
  • Suggest that she has a trial of treatment with 200 mcg inhaled beclometasone (or equivalent) twice daily, with home peak flow monitoring.

    Academic text (2012)
  • You perform spirometry with reversibility, using 400 mcg of salbutamol through a spacer.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Given Joan's current morphine dose, the starting dose of the patch should be 52.5 mcg/hr.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Doctors often recommend a daily intake of 400 mcg of folate for pregnant women.

Synonyms

microgram
vsmcg
  • Specialized
9 3.0

A very small unit of mass equal to one millionth of a gram

is the shorter form used especially in medical and scientific contexts

Surface Forms

mcg singular
mcgs plural

Morphology

mcg = microgram (transparent) = m + c + g

Standard clipped abbreviation of 'microgram' used in medical contexts; meaning directly corresponds to the full word.

Etymology

Mcg is short for micro- and gram, where micro- means 'small' and gram means 'a unit of weight'. So mcg means a very small weight, one millionth of a gram.