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Glite Dictionary
⚖️ A small weight 🪙 An old coin
obolus

obolus

9.9
A small ancient Greek weight equal to about one tenth of a gram
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊbələs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : obolo
  • One obolus was equal to about one tenth of a gram in ancient Greek measurements.

Examples

  • The ancient Greeks catalogued their goods by the weight of an obolus, which was one tenth of a gram.

  • The obolus was used to measure small weights.

  • Archaeologists discovered an obolus among the other artifacts at the excavation site.

  • The ancient Greeks used the obolus as both a coin and a measure of weight.

  • Many ancient texts mention the obolus as a weight unit.

  • Archaeologists found that an obolus weighed significantly less than most modern coins.

  • In ancient trade, a merchant would weigh items using an obolus to ensure fair transactions.

Surface Forms

obolus singular
oboli plural

Etymology

Obolus comes from the Greek word obelos, which meant a 'spit' or small 'metal rod' and is the same root behind obelisk; imagine a tiny metal stick used for measuring. So, because it named a very small piece of metal, obolus became the name for a very small unit of weight.