tael

American  

[tayl] / teɪl /

noun

1. liang.

2. any of various similar units of weight in East Asia.

3. a former Chinese money of account, being the value of this weight of standard silver.

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tael British  

/ teɪl /

noun

1. a unit of weight, used in the Far East, having various values between one to two and a half ounces

2. (formerly) a Chinese monetary unit equivalent in value to a tael weight of standard silver

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Etymology

Origin of tael

First recorded in 1580–90; from Portuguese from Malay tahil “liang”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tael

The weight of a tael is one and one-eighth ounces.

From The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 — Volume 03 of 55 1569-1576 Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century by Emma Helen Blair

The tael is not a coin, but a certain weight of silver, and therefore its value fluctuates with the value of silver.

From The Problem of China by Bertrand Russell

For purposes of taxation and payment of duties there is a standard or treasury tael, which is about 10% heavier than the tael of commerce in use at Shanghai.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 2 "Chicago, University of" to "Chiton" by Various

She had only got at Priaman 312 bahars of pepper, and twenty tael of gold.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 08 by Robert Kerr

Ting, 10 taels of silver = tael of gold.

From The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 2 by Henry Yule

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