what is kilo

Kilo is a decimal unit prefix in the metric system denoting multiplication by one thousand (10^3) . It is used in the International System of Units (SI), where it has the symbol k, in lowercase. The prefix kilo is derived from the Greek word χίλιοι (chilioi), meaning "thousand". The kilogram (kg) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units, having the unit symbol kg. It is often simply called a kilo colloquially, and means "one thousand grams". Other examples of units that use the prefix kilo include kilometer (km), kilojoule (kJ), kilolitre (kL), kilobaud (kBd), kilohertz (kHz), kilobit (kb), kilobyte (kB), kiloohm (kΩ), kilosecond (ks), and kilotonne (kt) . By extension, currencies are also sometimes preceded by the prefix kilo- .