The story
From micri- + erg. Proposed in 1922 by William Draper Harkins as a convenient unit for the surface energy of molecules.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
micrierg
Today it means: A unit of energy equivalent to 10⁻¹⁴ ergs, or 10⁻²¹ joules. Full definition →