ounce

¹

[ouns]

noun

1. snow leopard.

ounce

²

[ouns]

noun

1. a unit of weight equal to 437.5 grains or 1/16 pound (28.35 grams) avoirdupois.

2. a unit of 480 grains, 1/12 pound (31.1 grams) troy or apothecaries' weight.

3. a fluid ounce.

4. a small quantity or portion.

ounce

¹

/ aʊns /

noun

1. oz. a unit of weight equal to one sixteenth of a pound (avoirdupois); 1 ounce is equal to 437.5 grains or 28.349 grams

2. a unit of weight equal to one twelfth of a Troy or Apothecaries' pound; 1 ounce is equal to 480 grains or 31.103 grams

3. short for fluid ounce

4. a small portion or amount

ounce

²

/ aʊns /

noun

1. another name for snow leopard

ounce

1. A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 1/16 of a pound or 437.5 grains (28.35 grams).

2. See Table at measurement

3. See fluid ounce

Word History and Origins

Origin of ounce¹

1300–50; Middle English unce lynx < Anglo-French; Old French once, variant of lonce (erroneously taken as l'once the ounce) < Vulgar Latin *luncea, derivative of Latin lync- (stem of lynx ) lynx

Origin of ounce²

1350–1400; Middle English unce < Middle French < Latin uncia twelfth part, inch, ounce, derivative of unus one

Word History and Origins

Origin of ounce¹

C14: from Old French unce, from Latin uncia a twelfth; from ūnus one

Origin of ounce²

C18: from Old French once, by mistaken division of lonce as if l'once, from Latin _lynx

Idioms and Phrases

• more bang for the buck (bounce for the ounce)

Example Sentences

Gold is trading firmly above $4,000 an ounce in the aftermath of the U.S. government shutdown.

Read more on MarketWatch

When gold had been trading around $650 an ounce for the past two years, an option to buy it for $2,000 an ounce anytime during the next ten years might well be badly underpriced.

Read more on Literature

Bryant, in turn, became Harrison’s template for what a true superstar looked like: a cutthroat competitor, a maniacal worker, someone who gave every ounce of effort every second.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Gold prices rebounded to around $4,100 an ounce after falling below $4,000, though they are still down 7% from a record high of nearly $4,400.

Read more on Barron's

Not an ounce of litter, no errant barware lost with the throngs, no drunk soldiers left behind.

Read more on Salon