tael
Americannoun
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any of various similar units of weight in East Asia.
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a former Chinese money of account, being the value of this weight of standard silver.
noun
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a unit of weight, used in the Far East, having various values between one to two and a half ounces
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(formerly) a Chinese monetary unit equivalent in value to a tael weight of standard silver
Etymology
Origin of tael
First recorded in 1580–90; from Portuguese from Malay tahil “liang”
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.
Its value in Manilla varies, according to quality, at from twenty dollars a tael down to fourteen for the inferior sorts.
From Recollections of Manilla and the Philippines During 1848, 1849 and 1850 by MacMicking, Robert
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 Kerr, Robert
Between China and the United States the par of exchange is the market value in our dollars of the amount of silver contained in the tael, the Chinese unit.
From Banking by Scott, William A.
Rupees are also current, and at this time were equivalent to 400 cash—the tael at the same time being worth 1260 cash.
From An Australian in China Being the Narrative of a Quiet Journey Across China to Burma by Morrison, George Ernest
Liang, lyang, n. a Chinese ounce or tael, reckoned as one-third heavier than the ounce avoirdupois.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
