What is "ounce"

Ounce \Ounce\ (ouns), n. [F. once, fr. L. uncia a twelfth, the twelfth part of a pound or of a foot: cf. Gr. 'o`gkos bulk, mass, atom. Cf. 2d Inch, Oke.]

1. A weight, the sixteenth part of a pound avoirdupois, and containing 28.35 grams or 4371/2 grains.

2. (Troy Weight) The twelfth part of a troy pound; one troy ounce weighs 31.103486 grams, 8 drams, or 480 grains.

   Note: The troy ounce contains twenty pennyweights, each of twenty-four grains, or, in all, 480 grains, and is the twelfth part of the troy pound. The troy ounce is also a weight in apothecaries' weight. [Troy ounce is sometimes written as one word, troyounce.]

3. Fig.: A small portion; a bit. [Obs.]

   By ounces hung his locks that he had.
   --Chaucer.

   Fluid ounce. See under Fluid, n.

Ounce \Ounce\, n. [F. once; cf. It. lonza, Sp. onza; prob. for lonce, taken as l'once, fr. L. lynx, Gr. ?, or an (assumed) fem. adj. lyncea, from lynx. Cf. Lynx.] (Zo["o]l.) A feline quadruped ( Felis irbis syn. Felis uncia) resembling the leopard in size, and somewhat in color, but it has longer and thicker fur, which forms a short mane on the back. The ounce is pale yellowish gray, with irregular dark spots on the neck and limbs, and dark rings on the body. It inhabits the lofty mountain ranges of Asi

1. Called also once.

unit of weight, early 14c., from Old French once, unce, a measure of weight or time (12c.), from Latin uncia "one-twelfth part" (of a pound, foot, etc.), from Latin unus "one" (see one). The Latin word had been adopted in Old English as ynce (see inch). It was one-twelfth of a pound in the Troy system of weights, but one-sixteenth in avoirdupois. Abbreviation oz. is from older Italian onza. Also used in Middle English as a measure of time (7.5 seconds) and length (about 3 inches).

"wildcat," c.1300, from Old French once "lynx" (13c.), from lonce, with l- mistaken as definite article, from Vulgar Latin *luncea, from Latin lyncea "lynx-like," from lynx (see lynx). Originally the common lynx, later extended to other wildcats, now mainly used of the mountain-panther or snow leopard of Asia.

Etymology 1 n. 1 An avoirdupois ounce, weighing 1/16 of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.3495 grams. 2 A troy ounce, weighing 1/12 of a troy pound, or 480 grains, or 31.1035 grams. 3 A US fluid ounce, with a volume of 1/16 of a US pint, 1.804 687 cubic inches or 29.573 531 milliliters. 4 A British imperial fluid ounce, with a volume of 1/20 of an imperial pint, 1.733871 cubic inches or 28.413063 millilitres. 5 A little bit. Etymology 2

n. The snow leopard, ''Uncia uncia''.

1. n. a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a pound [syn: troy ounce, apothecaries' ounce]

2. a unit of weight equal to one sixteenth of a pound or 16 drams or 28.349 grams [syn: oz.]

3. large feline of upland central Asia having long thick whitish fur [syn: snow leopard, Panthera uncia]

An ounce is any of several units of mass

Ounce may also be:

• Ounce-force, a unit of force, one sixteenth of a pound-force
• Fluid ounce, any of several units of volume
• Ounce, a unit of length used to measure the thickness of leather or hide
• Ounce, alternative name for the Snow leopard
• Ounce, an old name for the European lynx
• Ounce, in heraldry the same feline as the leopard (heraldry)
• Ounce (roman coin)

An ounce (abbreviated oz; apothecary symbol: ℥) is a unit of mass used in some systems of measurement.

Whilst various definitions have been used throughout history, two remain in common use: the avoirdupois ounce equal to approximately 28.3 g [grams] and the troy ounce of about 31.1 g [grams]. The avoirdupois ounce is widely used as part of the United States customary and British imperial systems, but the troy ounce is now only commonly used for the mass of precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, etc..