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dram

dram

1 9.9
A small old unit of weight about one sixteenth of an ounce
  • noun
  • /dræm/
  • Archaic
translation icon : dram
  • The recipe called for a dram of powdered sugar to sweeten the mixture.

Examples

  • There are 400 drams in the oka.

    Blog text (29)
  • A dram is equivalent to about 1/16 of an ounce in weight.

  • In ancient measurements, a dram was often used to quantify precious metals.

Synonyms

drachma
vsdram
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small old medicine weight equal to about 3.89 grams

is defined as about one sixteenth of an ounce and so is half that
drachm
vsdram
  • Archaic
9.9

A small weight used long ago in medicine and cooking

is a similar old apothecary weight but defined as half as much

Compounds

fluid dram
  • Archaic
9.9

A small old liquid measure used for medicine, about 3.6 millilitres

Surface Forms

dram singular
drams plural

Etymology

A dram as a small weight comes from the same old word drachma, which was used as both a 'small coin' and a small measure. So a dram is a little unit of weight, about one sixteenth of an ounce.