Pound | Unit Of Weight - Encyclopedia Britannica

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External Websites pound unit of weight Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: lb Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Homework Help Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

pound, unit of avoirdupois weight, equal to 16 ounces, 7,000 grains, or 0.45359237 kg, and of troy and apothecaries’ weight, equal to 12 ounces, 5,760 grains, or 0.3732417216 kg. The Roman ancestor of the modern pound, the libra, is the source of the abbreviation lb. In medieval England several derivations of the libra vied for general acceptance. Among the earliest of these, the Tower pound, so called because its standard was kept in the Royal Mint in the Tower of London, was applied to precious metals and drugs and contained 5,400 grains, or 0.350 kg, whereas the mercantile pound contained 6,750 grains, or 0.437 kg. The troy pound, believed to have originated in Troyes, France, superseded the lighter Tower pound in 1527 as the gold and silver standard. Increased trade with France led also to the adoption of the 16-ounce avoirdupois pound in the 16th century to replace the mercantile pound.

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The British monetary pound is historically linked with the minting of silver coins (sterlings) from the Tower pound. Large payments were reckoned in “pounds of sterlings,” later shortened to “pounds sterling.”

This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.