ounce
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
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.
NounEdit
ounce (plural ounces)
- An avoirdupois ounce, weighing 1⁄16 of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.3495 grams.
- A troy ounce, weighing 1⁄12 of a troy pound, or 480 grains, or 31.1035 grams.
- A US fluid ounce, with a volume of 1⁄16 of a US pint, 1.8047 cubic inches or 29.5735 millilitres.
- A British imperial fluid ounce, with a volume of 1⁄20 of an imperial pint, 1.7339 cubic inches or 28.4131 millilitres.
- (figuratively) Any small amount, a little bit.
- He didn't feel even an ounce of regret for his actions.
SynonymsEdit
- (avoirdupois ounce): oz.; ℥, uncia (pharmacy)
- (fluid ounce): oz., fl. oz.
- (small amount): see also Thesaurus:modicum
DescendantsEdit
- → Tokelauan: aunehe
TranslationsEdit
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Etymology 2Edit
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.
NounEdit
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 837516736, 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, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] [F]or T[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cottle, […], OCLC 277545047:
- 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.
TranslationsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- snow leopard on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Uncia uncia on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
- Uncia uncia on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
AnagramsEdit
Middle EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle French once, from Old French once, unce, from Latin uncia. Doublet of ynche.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
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], 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.
DescendantsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “ǒunce, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-25.
Norwegian BokmålEdit
EtymologyEdit
From English ounce. Doublet of inch and unse.
NounEdit
ounce m (definite singular ouncen, indefinite plural ouncer, definite plural ouncene)
- an avoirdupois ounce
- Synonym: unse
Norwegian NynorskEdit
EtymologyEdit
From English ounce. Doublet of inch and unse.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
ounce m (definite singular ouncen, indefinite plural ouncar, definite plural ouncane)
- an avoirdupois ounce
- Synonym: unse
ReferencesEdit
- “ounce” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.