Ounce | Unit Of Weight - Encyclopedia Britannica

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ounce, unit of weight in the avoirdupois system, equal to 1/16 pound (437 1/2 grains), and in the troy and apothecaries’ systems, equal to 480 grains, or 1/12 pound. The avoirdupois ounce is equal to 28.35 grams and the troy and apothecaries’ ounce to 31.103 grams. As a unit of volume, the fluid ounce is equal to 1/16of a pint, or 29.57 millilitres, in the U.S. Customary System and to 1/20of a pint, or 28.41 millilitres, in the British Imperial System. As a unit of weight, the ounce derives from the Roman uncia (meaning “twelfth part”), which was 1/12 of a Roman foot or ounce. The standard or physical embodiment of the Roman foot, a copper bar, constituted the Roman pound standard and was divided along its length into 12 equal parts, called unciae. Thus, uncia designated both a unit of weight and one of length and is the source of the modern terms inch and ounce.