megaunitn.
/ˈmɛɡəˌjuːnɪt/, U.S. /ˈmɛɡəˌjunət/ Biology and Medicine.
A unit which is a million times larger than a basic unit of measurement; (Biology and Medicine) a million international units.
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the world > life > biology > laboratory analysis > measure > [noun] > unit
international unit1857
microunit1900
morgan1919
megaunit1920
S1942
Svedberg unit1942
quantum1952
Somogyi unit1956
cistron1957
1920 Science 3 Dec. 526/2 The mega-units of pressure and of temperature would probably be used more than the fundamental units.
1953 Economist 31 Jan. 307/2 During last summer, British production [of penicillin] fell below the 1951 weekly average of 1,216,000 mega units.
1970 New Scientist 19 Mar. 543/1 2.4 megaunits of long acting benzathine penicillin can maintain a treponemicidal blood and tissue level for three weeks or more.
1997 Clin. Infectious Dis. 24 992 After the clinical onset of acute hepatitis, the health care workers were treated with interferon (IFN) (total dose, approximately 300 megaunits).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1920