Adjacent Words

Ounce definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OUNCE, n. ouns. [L. uncia, the twelfth part of any thing; Gr; but the Greek is from Latin. Inch is from the same root, being the twelfth part of a foot.]
1. A weight, the twelfth part of a pound troy, and the sixteenth of a pound avoirdupois. In troy weight, the ounce is 20 pennyweights, each of 24 grains.
2. An animal of the genus Felis. [See Once.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a pound [syn: ounce, troy ounce, apothecaries' ounce]
2: a unit of weight equal to one sixteenth of a pound or 16 drams or 28.349 grams [syn: ounce, oz.]
3: large feline of upland central Asia having long thick whitish fur [syn: snow leopard, ounce, Panthera uncia]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French unce, from Latin uncia 12th part, ounce, from unus one — more at one Date: 14th century 1. a. a unit of weight equal to 1/12 troy pound — see weight table b. a unit of weight equal to 1/16 avoirdupois pound c. a small amount <an ounce of sense> 2. fluid ounce II. noun Etymology: Middle English unce lynx, from Middle French, alteration (by misdivision, as if l'once the ounce) of lonce, probably from Old Italian lonza, from Middle Greek lynk-, lynx, from Greek Date: 1774 snow leopard

Britannica Concise

Unit of weight in the avoirdupois system, the traditional European system of weight, which was incorporated into the British Imperial system and the U.S. system of weights and measures (see measurement). The ounce is equal to 1/16 lb (437.5 grains). In the troy and apothecaries' systems (two other traditional systems of weight), it is equal to 1/12 troy or apothecaries' lb (480 grains). The avoirdupois ounce is equal to 28.35 g, the troy ounce to 31.1 g. As a unit of volume, the fluid ounce is equal to 1/16 of a pint (29.57 ml) in the U.S. system, and to 1/20 of a pint (28.41 ml) in the British Imperial system. See also gram, International System of Units, metric system, pound.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 a a unit of weight of one-sixteenth of a pound avoirdupois (approx. 28 grams). Usage: Abbr.: oz. b a unit of one-twelfth of a pound troy or apothecaries' measure, equal to 480 grains (approx. 31 grams). 2 a small quantity. Phrases and idioms: fluid ounce Brit. 1 a unit of capacity equal to one-twentieth of a pint (approx. 0.028 litre). 2 US a unit of capacity equal to one-sixteenth of a pint (approx. 0.034 litre). Etymology: ME & OF unce f. L uncia twelfth part of pound or foot: cf. INCH(1) 2. n. an Asian wild cat, Panthera uncia, with leopard-like markings on a cream-coloured coat. Also called mountain panther, snow leopard. Etymology: ME f. OF once (earlier lonce) = It. lonza ult. f. L lynx: see LYNX

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ounce Ounce, n. [F. once, fr. L. uncia a twelfth, the twelfth part of a pound or of a foot: cf. Gr. ? bulk, mass, atom. Cf. 2d Inch, Oke.] 1. A weight, the sixteenth part of a pound avoirdupois, and containing 437? grains. 2. (Troy Weight) The twelfth part of a troy pound. Note: The troy ounce contains twenty pennyweights, each of twenty-four grains, or, in all, 480 grains, and is the twelfth part of the troy pound. The troy ounce is also a weight in apothecaries' weight. [Troy ounce is sometimes written as one word, troyounce.] 3. Fig.: A small portion; a bit. [Obs.] By ounces hung his locks that he had. --Chaucer. Fluid ounce. See under Fluid, n.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ounce Ounce, n. [F. once; cf. It. lonza, Sp. onza; prob. for lonce, taken as l'once, fr. L. lynx, Gr. ?, or an (assumed) fem. adj. lyncea, from lynx. Cf. Lynx.] (Zo["o]l.) A feline quadruped (Felis irbis, or uncia) resembling the leopard in size, and somewhat in color, but it has longer and thicker fur, which forms a short mane on the back. The ounce is pale yellowish gray, with irregular dark spots on the neck and limbs, and dark rings on the body. It inhabits the lofty mountain ranges of Asia. Called also once.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(ounces) 1. An ounce is a unit of weight used in Britain and the USA. There are sixteen ounces in a pound and one ounce is equal to 28.35 grams. ...four ounces of sugar. N-COUNT: num N, oft N of n 2. You can refer to a very small amount of something, such as a quality or characteristic, as an ounce. If only my father had possessed an ounce of business sense... I spent every ounce of energy trying to hide. N-SING: usu N of n 3. see also fluid ounce

Moby Thesaurus

ace, atom, bit, crumb, dab, dole, dot, dram, dribble, driblet, drop, dwarf, farthing, fleck, flyspeck, fragment, gobbet, grain, granule, groat, hair, handful, iota, jot, little, little bit, minim, minimum, minutiae, mite, modicum, molecule, mote, nutshell, particle, pebble, pinch, pittance, point, scruple, shred, smidgen, smitch, speck, spoonful, spot, thimbleful, tiny bit, tittle, trifling amount, trivia, whit