erg

¹ American  

[urg] / ɜrg /

noun

Physics.

1. the centimeter-gram-second unit of work or energy, equal to the work done by a force of one dyne when its point of application moves through a distance of one centimeter in the direction of the force; 10− 7 joule.

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erg ² American  

[erg] / ɛrg /

noun

Geology.

1. a vast area covered with sand and shifting dunes, as parts of the Sahara Desert.

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ERG ³ American  

abbreviation

1. electroretinogram.

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erg ¹ British  

/ ɜːɡ /

noun

1. the cgs unit of work or energy. 1 erg is equivalent to 10 ^–7 joule

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erg ² British  

/ ɜːɡ /

noun

1. an area of shifting sand dunes in a desert, esp the Sahara

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erg ³ British  

/ ɜːɡ /

noun

1. informal short for ergometer

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erg ¹ Scientific  

/ ûrg /

1. The unit of energy or work in the centimeter-gram-second system, equal to the force of one dyne over a distance of one centimeter. This unit has been mostly replaced by the joule.

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erg ² Scientific  

/ ûrg /

1. An extensive area of desert covered with shifting sand dunes.

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Etymology

Origin of erg¹

1870–75; < Greek érgon work

Origin of erg²

1870–75; < French < Arabic ʾirq

Example Sentences

Eventually, she was relegated to practicing in a storage closet in the Whitman gym, where she and other injured rowers used erg machines and stationary bikes.

From Washington Post • Feb. 11, 2022

“They also look at water results, but they also want to know what about your erg tests.”

From Seattle Times • May 27, 2019

Excelling on the erg requires great strength, fitness, coordination and determination, and size is also an advantage, Van Dorp said.

From Seattle Times • May 27, 2019

GRB170817A had a fluence of 2.2 × 10−7 erg cm−2 in the 10–1,000 keV energy range, as observed by the Fermi-GBM.

From Nature • Oct. 15, 2017

They had discovered the X ray, the cathode ray, the electron, and radioactivity, invented the ohm, the watt, the Kelvin, the joule, the amp, and the little erg.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson