/aʊns/
OriginFrom Middle English ounce, unce, from Middle French once, from Latin uncia (“Roman ounce, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of a, one, inch, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah.
- An avoirdupois ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₆ of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.349523125 grams.
- A troy ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₂ of a troy pound, or 480 grains, or 31.1034768 grams.
- A US fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₁₆ of a US pint, 1.804688 cubic inches or 29.5735295625 millilitres.
- A British imperial fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₂₀ of an imperial pint, 1.733871 cubic inches or 28.4130625 millilitres.
- figurativelyAny small amount, a little bit.
“He didn't feel even an ounce of regret for his actions.”
- archaicA large wild feline, such as a lynx or cougar.
“The Ounce or the vvilde Cat, is as big as a mungrell dog, this creature is by nature feirce, and more dangerous to bee met vvithall than any other creature, not fearing eyther dogge or man; […]”
“Halloa! another prey,
The nimble Antelope!
The ounce is freed; one spring,
And his talons are sheath’d in her shoulders,
And his teeth are red in her gore.”
- Synonym of snow leopard, Panthera uncia.
- Synonym of onza, a particularly aggressive cougar or jaguarundi in Mexican folklore.
“The ounce, a leopard-like creature, is dreaded for its depredations by the Indians of Brazil.”
Formsounces(plural)