pennyweight

[ pen-ee-weyt ]

/ ˈpɛn iˌweɪt /

noun

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

Nearby words

Origin of pennyweight

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pennyweight

"Gold's worth $21 an ounce and that's about a pennyweight, I guess," encouraged Archie.
The Pike's Peak Rush|Edwin L. Sabin
A pennyweight, according to the old saying, is enough; for being thus used it bringeth two commodities.
Nooks and Corners of English Life, Past and Present|John Timbs
Forty thousand ounces of gold, mates, not a pennyweight less?'
Grif|B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon
True, she has got no more than her deserts; she has paid for her success, every pennyweight of it, in hard work and self-denial.
Grey Roses|Henry Harland

You shall stand on your conditions now; you shall have your pennyweight and full advantage, and the rigour of the pact.
Count Hannibal|Stanley J. Weyman

British Dictionary definitions for pennyweight

pennyweight

/ (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

Word Origin and History for pennyweight

pennyweight

Old English penega gewiht, originally the weight of a silver penny; see penny + weight (n.).