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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.

See Examples For:

pennyweight

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

From Encyclopedia.com ● Apr. 9, 2018

When you figure the pennyweight, you need to divide the number of karats by 24.

From Encyclopedia.com ● Apr. 9, 2018

The other measurement used to measure gold is pennyweight.

From Encyclopedia.com ● Apr. 9, 2018

A professor he has been, but there is not a pennyweight of perplexity in him.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

From Historical Romances: Under the Red Robe, Count Hannibal, A Gentleman of France by Weyman, Stanley J.

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