avoirdupois measurement
- noun
- /ˌævərˈduːpwɑː/
- Specialized
:
sistema de medidas avoirdupois
- One pound in avoirdupois measurement is equal to 16 ounces.
Examples
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The United States still relies on the avoirdupois measurement system for everyday goods.
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The avoirdupois measurement system is widely used in the United States.
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Chemists usually avoid avoirdupois measurement when working with medicines, preferring the metric system.
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Are you familiar with avoirdupois measurements?
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The United States still relies on the avoirdupois measurement system for everyday goods.
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One pound in avoirdupois measurement is equal to 16 ounces.
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Chemists usually avoid avoirdupois measurement when working with medicines, preferring the metric system.
Synonyms
A system of weights using a 16-ounce pound for common goods
A way of measuring weight using a pound of sixteen ounces, used in the United States
A way to measure weight using a 16-ounce pound for everyday goods
Surface Forms
Morphology
If a learner knows 'avoirdupois' as a specific weight system and 'measurement' as an act of quantifying, the phrase simply denotes measurements made using the avoirdupois system. The noun+noun attributive composition is fully compositional and therefore directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Avoirdupois measurement comes from old French words meaning 'goods of weight' because it was the name used when people weighed ordinary items at market. That's why the phrase now means the common system of pounds and ounces used for everyday goods.
