pennyweight

American

[pen-ee-weyt] / ˈpɛn iˌweɪt /

noun

(in troy weight) a unit of 24 grains or 1/20 of an ounce (1.56 grams). dwt, pwt

pennyweight British

/ ˈpɛnɪˌweɪt /

noun

a unit of weight equal to 24 grains or one twentieth of an ounce (Troy)

"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

Etymology

Origin of pennyweight

1350–1400; Middle English penyweight, Old English penega gewihte. See penny, weight

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Two measures are used by jewelers to determine this — karat and pennyweight.

From Encyclopedia.com

You shall stand on your conditions now; you shall have your pennyweight and full advantage, and the rigour of the pact.

From Project Gutenberg

Scarce a pennyweight of honest horseflesh to be seen.

From Project Gutenberg

The author of The Field Book says: "That an arrow weighing from twenty to four-and-twenty pennyweights, made of yew, was considered by archers the best that could be used."

From Project Gutenberg

It is not to be expected that metallurgical results of this period will "tie up" with the exactness of the modern operator's, and it has not been considered necessary to calculate beyond the nearest pennyweight.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023