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ounce - 14 dictionary results

ounce

1  [ouns]
Use ounce in a Sentence
–noun
1. a unit of weight equal to 437.5 grains or 1/16 pound (28.349 grams) avoirdupois.
2. a unit of 480 grains, 1/12 pound (31.103 grams) troy or apothecaries' weight.
3. a fluid ounce.
4. a small quantity or portion.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME unce < MF < L uncia twelfth part, inch, ounce, deriv. of unus one

ounce

2  [ouns]
–noun
snow leopard.
Origin:
1300–50; ME unce lynx < AF; OF once, var. of lonce (erroneously taken as l'once the ounce) < VL *luncea, deriv. of L lync- (s. of lynx) lynx

snow leopard

 
–noun
a long-haired, leopardlike feline, Panthera (Uncia) uncia, of mountain ranges of central Asia, having a relatively small head and a thick, creamy-gray coat with rosette spots: an endangered species.
Also called ounce 2 .

Origin:
1865–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ounce
ounce 1   (ouns)   
n.  
  1. Abbr. oz
    1. A unit of weight in the U.S. Customary System, an avoirdupois unit equal to 437.5 grains (28.35 grams).
    2. A unit of apothecary weight, equal to 480 grains (31.10 grams). See Table at measurement.
  2. A fluid ounce. See Table at measurement.
  3. A tiny bit: not an ounce of sympathy.

[Middle English unce, from Old French, from Latin ūncia; see oi-no- in Indo-European roots.]
ounce 2   (ouns)   
n.  See snow leopard.

[Middle English unce, from Old French once, alteration of lonce, from Vulgar Latin *luncea, from Latin lynx, lync-, lynx, from Greek lunx; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.]
snow leopard  
n.  A large feline mammal (Panthera uncia) of the highlands of central Asia, having long, thick, whitish-gray fur with dark markings like those of a leopard. Also called ounce2.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Ounce

Ounce\, n. [F. once, fr. L. uncia a twelfth, the twelfth part of a pound or of a foot: cf. Gr. ? bulk, mass, atom. Cf. 2d Inch, Oke.]

1. A weight, the sixteenth part of a pound avoirdupois, and containing 437? grains.

2. (Troy Weight) The twelfth part of a troy pound.

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, or 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 Asia. Called also once.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : ounce
Spanish: onza,
German: die Unze,
Japanese: オンス
More Translations »

ounce  (1)
"unit of weight," c.1330, from O.Fr. unce (12c.), from L. uncia "one-twelfth part" (of a pound, foot, etc.), from L. unus "one" (see one). The L. word had been adopted in O.E. 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 It. onza. Also used in M.E. as a measure of time (7.5 seconds) and length (about 3 inches).

ounce  (2)
"wildcat," c.1300, from O.Fr. once, from lonce, with l- mistaken as definite article, from V.L. *luncea, from L. 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: ounce
Pronunciation: 'aun(t)s
Function: noun
1 a : a unit of troy weight equal to 1/12 troy pound or 31.103 grams b : a unit of avoirdupois weight equal to 1/16 avoirdupois pound or 28.350 grams
2 : FLUID OUNCE
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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ounce (ouns)
n.
Abbr. oz, oz.

  1. A unit of weight in the U.S. Customary System, an avoirdupois unit equal to 437.5 grains or 28.35 grams.
  2. A unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or 31.10 grams.
  3. A fluid ounce.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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ounce   (ouns)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 1/16 of a pound or 437.5 grains (28.35 kilograms). See Table at measurement.
  2. See fluid ounce.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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ounce

In addition to the idiom beginning with ounce, also see more bang for the buck (bounce for the ounce).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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