Avoirdupois

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Avoirdupois

Avoirdupois (/ˌævərdəˈpɔɪz/; French pronunciation: ​[avwaʁdypwa]) is a system of weights (more properly, mass) based on a pound of 16 ounces. It is the everyday system of weight used in the United States and is used to a lesser extent in the United Kingdom and Canada, in contrast to the troy or apothecaries' systems.

Etymology

The term "avoirdupois" is from Anglo-Norman French "aveir de peis" (later "avoir de pois"), literally "goods of weight" (Old French "aveir", "property, goods", also "to have", comes from the Latin "habere", "to have, to hold, to possess property"; "de" = "of/from"; "peis" = "weight", from Latin "pensum").

History

The avoirdupois system is thought to have come into use in England circa 1300. It was originally used for weighing wool. In the early 14th century, it was used by British merchants and shippers for weighing all sorts of goods. The system was updated in 1959 to the current definition of the pound.

Units

The basic units of the avoirdupois system are the pound and the ounce. There are also other units like the grain, dram, stone, hundredweight, and ton.

Conversion

The avoirdupois system is a base 16 system, unlike the metric system, which is a base 10 system. This means that there are 16 ounces in a pound, not 10.

Related terms

External links

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