ML is short for milliliter, a tiny unit for measuring liquids. One milliliter is about 20 drops of water, or roughly the amount that fits in a thimble. The “milli” part means one-thousandth, so it takes 1,000 milliliters to make one liter (a little more than a quart).

ML can also be an abbreviation for machine learning, which is a way computers use data to improve at tasks. Machine learning helps computers do things like recognize handwriting, suggest videos you might like, or help doctors spot signs of disease in medical images.