ounce
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Middle English ounce, unce, from Middle French once, from Latin uncia (“Roman ounce, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of a, one, inch, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah.
Noun edit
ounce (plural ounces)
- An avoirdupois ounce, weighing 1⁄16 of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.349523125 grams.
- A troy ounce, weighing 1⁄12 of a troy pound, or 480 grains, or 31.1034768 grams.
- A US fluid ounce, with a volume of 1⁄16 of a US pint, 1.804688 cubic inches or 29.5735295625 millilitres.
- A British imperial fluid ounce, with a volume of 1⁄20 of an imperial pint, 1.733871 cubic inches or 28.4130625 millilitres.
- (figurative) Any small amount, a little bit.
- He didn't feel even an ounce of regret for his actions.
Synonyms edit
- (avoirdupois ounce): oz.; ℥, uncia (pharmacy)
- (fluid ounce): oz., fl. oz.
- (small amount): see also Thesaurus:modicum
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
- → Tokelauan: aunehe
Translations edit
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Etymology 2 edit
From Middle French once, from Old French lonce (“lynx”), by false division (the l was thought to be the article), from Italian lonza, ultimately from Ancient Greek λύγξ (lúnx, “lynx”). Doublet of onza.
Noun edit
ounce (plural ounces)
- (now archaic) A large wild feline, such as a lynx or cougar. [from 14th c.]
- 1634, William Wood, “Of the Beasts that Live on the Land”, in New Englands Prospect. A True, Lively, and Experimentall Description of that Part of America, Commonly Called New England; […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, for Iohn Bellamie, […], →OCLC, 1st part, page 23:
- The Ounce or the vvilde Cat, is as big as a mungrell dog, this creature is by nature feirce, and more dangerous to bee met vvithall than any other creature, not fearing eyther dogge or man; […]
- 1801, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Thalaba the Destroyer, volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] [F]or T[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cottle, […], →OCLC:
- Halloa! another prey,
The nimble Antelope!
The ounce is freed; one spring,
And his talons are sheath’d in her shoulders,
And his teeth are red in her gore.
- Synonym of snow leopard, Panthera uncia. [from 18th c.]
- (cryptozoology) Synonym of onza, a particularly aggressive cougar or jaguarundi in Mexican folklore.
- 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 8, page 235:
- The ounce, a leopard-like creature, is dreaded for its depredations by the Indians of Brazil.
Translations edit
References edit
- snow leopard on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Uncia uncia on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
- Uncia uncia on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
Anagrams edit
Middle English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle French once, from Old French once, unce, from Latin uncia. Doublet of ynche.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
ounce (plural ounces or ounce)
- An ounce (unit with much variation, but generally equivalent to 1/12 or 1/16 of a pound)
- (rare) A shekel (ancient measure of weight)
- (rare) A minuscule or insignificant amount or quantity.
- a. 1394, Geoffrey Chaucer, “General Prologue”, in The Canterbury Tales[1], archived from the original on 22 February 2019, lines 677–678:
- By ounces henge his lokkes that he hadde / And therwith he his shuldres overspradde
- By very little hung the locks that he had; / He draped them over his shoulders
- (rare) An eight-minute unit for measuring time.
- (rare) A three-inch unit for measuring length.
Descendants edit
References edit
- “ǒunce, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-25.
Norwegian Bokmål edit
Etymology edit
From English ounce. Doublet of inch and unse.
Noun edit
ounce m (definite singular ouncen, indefinite plural ouncer, definite plural ouncene)
- an avoirdupois ounce
- Synonym: unse
Norwegian Nynorsk edit
Etymology edit
From English ounce. Doublet of inch and unse.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
ounce m (definite singular ouncen, indefinite plural ouncar, definite plural ouncane)
- an avoirdupois ounce
- Synonym: unse
References edit
- “ounce” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.