quintal

[kwin-tl]

noun

a unit of weight equal to 100 kilograms (220.5 avoirdupois pounds).

Origin of quintal

1425–75; late Middle English < Medieval Latin quintāle < Arabic qinṭār weight of a hundred pounds, probably ≪ Latin centēnārius. Cf. centenary, kantar, kilderkin

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

Examples from the Web for quintal

Historical Examples of quintal

"'Wouldn't hev your conscience fer a thousand quintal," said Dan.
"Captains Courageous"
Rudyard Kipling
You see, we're first off the Banks this season, and it's four twenty-five a quintal.
"Captains Courageous"
Rudyard Kipling
Pray back a nine-thousand-dollar boat an' a thousand quintal of fish.
"Captains Courageous"
Rudyard Kipling
There isn't but three—no—two ninety-four or five quintal more by my reckoning.
"Captains Courageous"
Rudyard Kipling
Quintal had probably not intended to hurt the child, but he expressed no regret.
The Lonely Island
R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for quintal

quintal

noun

a unit of weight equal to 100 pounds

a unit of weight equal to 100 kilograms

Word Origin for quintal

C15: via Old French from Arabic qintār, possibly from Latin centēnārius consisting of a hundred

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 quintal

"a weight of a hundred pounds," c.1400, from Old French quintal "hundredweight," and directly from Medieval Latin quintale, from Arabic quintar, from Late Greek kentenarion, from Latin centenarius "containing a hundred" (see centenary).