What is the acceleration of gravity, or the rate of change in the velocity of a falling body, commonly referred to as?

The acceleration of gravity is commonly referred to as "gal." This term is derived from Galileo Galilei's name, who made significant contributions to the understanding of gravitational acceleration. In scientific terms, one gal is equivalent to a gravitational acceleration of one centimeter per second squared (1 cm/s²). It is used primarily in fields such as geophysics and engineering to quantify the acceleration experienced by objects in free fall near the Earth's surface, where the average value is approximately 980 gal.

The other terms do not apply in this context. For instance, a "Newton" is a unit of force in the International System of Units (SI) and is not directly used to describe acceleration. "Meter" is a unit of distance and measures length, while "acceleration" is a general term that refers to the rate of change of velocity of an object. While "acceleration" itself can describe the concept of gravity, the specific term used in this case is "gal."