What is "maund"

Maund \Maund\, n. [AS. mand, mond.] A hand basket. [Obs.]
--Herrick.

Maund \Maund\, Maunder \Maund"er\, v. i. [Cf. F. mendier to beg, E. mendicant.]

1. To beg. [Obs.]
   --B. Jonson. Beau. & Fl.

2. To mutter; to mumble; to grumble; to speak indistinctly or disconnectedly; to talk incoherently.

   He was ever maundering by the how that he met a party of scarlet devils.
   --Sir W. Scott.

Maund \Maund\, n. [Hind, & Per. man.] An East Indian weight, varying in different localities from 25 to about 82 pounds avoirdupois.

Etymology 1 alt. 1 A wicker basket. 2 A unit of capacity with various specific local values. 3 (lb en regional) A handbasket with two lids. n. 1 A wicker basket. 2 A unit of capacity with various specific local values. 3 (lb en regional) A handbasket with two lids. Etymology 2

alt. (context archaic English) A unit of weight in southern and western Asia, whose value varied widely by location. Two maunds made one chest of opium in East Indi

1. One maund equalled 136 pounds of opium in Turkey. n. (context archaic English) A unit of weight in southern and western Asia, whose value varied widely by location. Two maunds made one chest of opium in East India. One maund equalled 136 pounds of opium in Turkey. Etymology 3

   n. (context archaic English) begging v

2. 1 (context archaic English) to beg 2 (context obsolete English) To mutter; to mumble or speak incoherently; to maunder.

n. a unit of weight used in Asia; has different values in different countries; "the official maund in India is 82.6 pounds avoirdupois"

The maund is the anglicized name for a traditional unit of mass used in British India, and also in Afghanistan, Persia and Arabia: the same unit in the Moghul Empire was sometimes written as mun in English, while the equivalent unit in the Ottoman Empire and Central Asia was called the batman. At different times, and in different South Asian localities, the mass of the maund has varied, from as low as 25 pounds (11 kg) to as high as 160 pounds (72½ kg): even greater variation is seen in Persia and Arabia.

In British India, the maund was first standardized in the Bengal Presidency in 1833, where it was set equal to 100 Troy pounds (82.28 lbs. av.). This standard spread throughout the British Raj. After the independence of India and Pakistan, the definition formed the basis for metrication, one maund becoming exactly 37.3242 kilograms. A similar metric definition is used in Nepal.

The Old English, 'maund' may also be the origin of Maundy Thursday. As a verb, 'maund' to beg; as a noun, 'a maund'a small basket held out for alms.