MW

In the context of dictionaries, MW stands for “many words.” Or something like that. If you’re here because you searched for “MW dictionary,” well, you’ve come to the right place as far as we’re concerned, because, oh yes, we’ve got many words.

MW is really an abbreviation, though, and it can stand for a lot of different things.

Most commonly, MW stands for megawatt, a unit of power equal to one million watts.

Sometimes, the two letters are used as an abbreviation for milliwatt, a unit equal to one thousandth of a watt. In this case, it is typically styled as mW. 

In other scientific contexts, MW is an abbreviation for molecular weight—the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule.

In URLs, .mw is the internet domain for Malawi.

MW can also stand for medium wave (a type of radio wave) or Master of Wine, a certification issued to wine experts.

And, OK, yes, when you see MW or M-W in the context of dictionaries, it often refers to the George and Charles Merriam/Noah Webster mashup. You know, “since 1828” and all that. (See you at the convention, M Dub!)

Example: The station is capable of generating 1,000 MW of power.

The abbreviation MW has been used for megawatt since at least the late 1940s. The term megawatt was first recorded around 1895. The prefix mega- comes from a word meaning “large.” It’s used in units of measure that are equal to one million of the units denoted by the base word: a megawatt is equal to one million watts. A gigawatt is equal to one billion watts. It should not be confused with the (not actually real) jiggawatt, which, if we had to guess, is probably equal to one jillion watts. The word watt comes from the name of scientist James Watt and was first recorded in 1882.

Megawatt is sometimes used in figurative ways, such as to describe things as exceptionally bright or powerful, as in She had a 10,000-megawatt smile or Dictionary.com is like a 10 billion-MW dictionary.

What are some words that share a root or word element with MW? 

• megawatt
• milliwatt
• Malawi
• molecular weight

What are some words that often get used in discussing MW?

• generate
• electricity
• power

MW is most commonly used as an abbreviation for megawatt.

The Norte III power plant in Mexico achieved commercial operation with 4 – GE 7F.04 engines expected to provide 907 MW – or the equivalent electricity consumed by an avg of 500k households. After 30 years, the 7F continues to deliver. #GEProud https://t.co/PnjcmG3f2j pic.twitter.com/QVQnCo3Jv7

— GE Power (@GE_Power) June 16, 2020

It's National Hydropower Day! Harvey Couch built Remmel Dam for AP&L as the first major generating facility in Arkansas in 1923, then Carpenter Dam in 1932. These two hydroelectric stations can still generate 65.3 MW of electricity for Entergy Arkansas customers. #HydroDay pic.twitter.com/YPAFC28et3

— Entergy Arkansas (@EntergyArk) August 23, 2019

More competition for Rosatom’s floating nuclear power stations. Russia already has an operational 70 MW unit. RR plants are being designed to generate 440 MW. Not quite a nuclear renaissance, but a sign that nuclear energy is staying in the mix. https://t.co/FaGTkXv4QV

— Igor Danchenko (@IgorDanch) November 11, 2020

Which of the following terms can be abbreviated as MW?

A. molecular weight
B. megawatt
C. Malawi
D. all of the above