centimeter-gram-second system
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cen·ti·me·ter-gram-sec·ond system
(sĕn′tə-mē′tər-grăm′sĕk′ənd)n. Abbr. cgs
A system of measurement in which the basic units of length, mass, and time are the centimeter, gram, and second, used in the United States chiefly in science, medicine, and engineering.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.