apothecaries' weight

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noun

a system of weights used chiefly in compounding and dispensing drugs: 20 grains = 1 scruple (℈); 3 scruples = 1 dram (dr); 8 drams = 1 ounce); 12 ounces = 1 pound. The grain, ounce, and pound are the same as in troy weight, the grain alone being the same as in avoirdupois weight.

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Origin of apothecaries' weight

First recorded in 1755–65

Words nearby apothecaries' weight

apostolic succession, Apostolos, apostrophe, apostrophize, apothecaries' measure, apothecaries' weight, apothecary, apothecary jar, apothecium, apothegm, apothem

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apothecaries' weight in a sentence

A lot of people ring in the New Year with vows to lose weight and exercise.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yet we keep doing the cleanses, buying the meal replacement bars, and joining Weight Watchers.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The problem, says UC Davis physiologist and nutritionist Linda Bacon, is that very few people can lose weight and keep it off.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then the commercial weight loss behemoths Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig joined this crowded field.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The rule of law, you see, buckles, bends and sometimes crumbles under the weight of racism, sexism, and classism.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?|Goldie Taylor|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, considerations of weight have to be taken into account, but the more mould round the roots the better.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Results are in terms of bulk of precipitate, which must not be confused with percentage by weight.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The weight percentage can be found by referring to Purdy's tables, given later.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
But for the most part even industry and endowment were powerless against the inertia of custom and the dead-weight of environment.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
All the eight planets added together only make one-seven-hundredth part of his weight.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford

British Dictionary definitions for apothecaries' weight

apothecaries' weight

noun

a system of weights, formerly used in pharmacy, based on the Troy ounce, which contains 480 grains. 1 grain is equal to 0.065 gram

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

Scientific definitions for apothecaries' weight

apothecaries' weight

[ ə-pŏth′ĭ-kĕr′ēz ]

A system of weights used in pharmacy and based on an ounce equal to 480 grains and a pound equal to 12 ounces. It has been largely replaced by measures of the metric system.