Where does “ounce” come from?
Ounce comes from Latin uncia, meaning a twelfth part, derived from Latin unus meaning one, from Proto-Indo-European óynos meaning one.
ounce (English): abbreviation oz. or ℥; An avoirdupois ounce,...
Definitions
- abbreviation oz. or ℥; An avoirdupois ounce,...
Ancestry of “ounce”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ounce | An ounce; A shekel; A minuscule or insignificant... |
| 2 | Middle French | once | — |
| 3 | Old French | once | — |
| 4 | Latin | uncia | The twelfth part of something; twelfth; The... |
| 5 | Old French | lonce | lynx |
| 6 | Italian | lonza | loin of pork; a term used in the Middle Ages to... |
| 7 | Vulgar Latin | luncea | — |
| 8 | Latin | lynx | A lynx |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | λύγξ | lynx; hiccup |
| 10 | Latin | canadensis | Canadian |
| 11 | Latin | -ensis | Of or from |
| 12 | Latin | arvum | field; farm land |
| 13 | Latin | colō | to cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden |
| 14 | Latin | quelō | — |
| 15 | Proto-Italic | kʷelō | to inhabit |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷéleti | — |
| 17 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |