congius

[ kon-jee-uhs ]

noun,plural con·gi·i [kon-jee-ahy]. /ˈkɒn dʒiˌaɪ/.
  1. (in prescriptions) a gallon (3.7853 liters).

  2. an ancient Roman unit of liquid measure equal to about 0.8 U.S. gallon (3.2 liters).

Origin of congius

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin, alteration of Greek konchíon, equivalent to kónch(ē) conch + -ion diminutive suffix

Words Nearby congius

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use congius in a sentence

  • One metreta, a Greek measure, equalled about nine English gallons, and a congius contained about six pints.

    De Re Metallica | Georgius Agricola
  • congius Ripensis tells us, that the same restriction was imposed by the Lacedæmonians on their Helots and all domestic animals.

    Curiosities of Medical Experience | J. G. (John Gideon) Millingen
  • This is furnished with brazen buckets, each holding about a congius.

    De Re Metallica | Georgius Agricola
  • Perhaps "metreta" and "congius" should be swapped in this sentence, but it was left as is.

    De Re Metallica | Georgius Agricola

British Dictionary definitions for congius

congius

/ (ˈkɒndʒɪəs) /


nounplural -gii (-dʒɪˌaɪ)
  1. pharmacol a unit of liquid measure equal to 1 Imperial gallon

  2. an ancient Roman unit of liquid measure equal to about 0.7 Imperial gallon or 0.84 US gallon

Origin of congius

1
C14: from Latin, probably from Greek konkhos liquid measure, conch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012