Ounce
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 An avoirdupois ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₆ of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.349523125 grams.
- 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 large feline of upland central Asia having long thick whitish fur wordnet
- 4 A troy ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₂ of a troy pound, or 480 grains, or 31.1034768 grams.
- 5 Synonym of snow leopard, Panthera uncia.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 a unit of weight equal to one sixteenth of a pound or 16 drams or 28.349 grams wordnet
- 7 A US fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₁₆ of a US pint, 1.804688 cubic inches or 29.5735295625 millilitres.
- 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."
- 9 a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a troy pound wordnet
- 10 A British imperial fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₂₀ of an imperial pint, 1.733871 cubic inches or 28.4130625 millilitres.
- 11 Any small amount, a little bit. figuratively
"He didn't feel even an ounce of regret for his actions."
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"An ounce of practice is worth a pound of precept."
Etymology
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.
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.