Ounce

//aʊns// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An avoirdupois ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₆ of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.349523125 grams.
  2. 2
    A large wild feline, such as a lynx or cougar. archaic

    "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; […]"

  3. 3
    large feline of upland central Asia having long thick whitish fur wordnet
  4. 4
    A troy ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₂ of a troy pound, or 480 grains, or 31.1034768 grams.
  5. 5
    Synonym of snow leopard, Panthera uncia.
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    a unit of weight equal to one sixteenth of a pound or 16 drams or 28.349 grams wordnet
  2. 7
    A US fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₁₆ of a US pint, 1.804688 cubic inches or 29.5735295625 millilitres.
  3. 8
    Synonym of onza, a particularly aggressive cougar or jaguarundi in Mexican folklore.

    "The ounce, a leopard-like creature, is dreaded for its depredations by the Indians of Brazil."

  4. 9
    a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a troy pound wordnet
  5. 10
    A British imperial fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₂₀ of an imperial pint, 1.733871 cubic inches or 28.4130625 millilitres.
  6. 11
    Any small amount, a little bit. figuratively

    "He didn't feel even an ounce of regret for his actions."

Etymology

Etymology 1

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.

Etymology 2

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 and lynx.

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