avoirdupois

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Old French avoir + de + pois (“good of weight”), compare Modern French poids (“weight”)

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˌævədəˈpɔɪz/, /ˌævɑːdjuːˈpwɑː/
• (US) IPA: /ˌævɚdəˈpɔɪz/

Noun

avoirdupois

1. The official system of weights used in UK between 1856 and 1963. It had been the customary system in London since 1300 CE.
2. The official system of weights used in USA between 1866 and 1959.
3. Weight; heaviness.

   he has a lot of avoirdupois

See also

• AF
• metric
• troy weight