ounce
ounce Lexical Profile
ounce Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A unit of weight equal to one-sixteenth of an avoirdupois pound (approximately 28.35 grams), or one-twelfth of a troy pound (approximately 31.10 grams) used for precious metals.
"The recipe calls for eight ounces of dark chocolate and four ounces of unsalted butter."
A unit of liquid capacity (fluid ounce) equal to one-sixteenth of a US pint (approximately 29.57 milliliters) or one-twentieth of an imperial pint (approximately 28.41 milliliters).
"She poured two ounces of freshly brewed espresso into the ceramic mug."
A very small amount, particle, or trace of a quality, strength, or emotion (usually used in negative contexts).
"After running the marathon, he did not have an ounce of energy left in his body."
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), a large, long-haired wild cat of the family Felidae native to the high mountain ranges of Central and South Asia, characterized by a thick smoky-gray coat patterned with dark rosettes.
"In older natural history texts, the elusive snow leopard of the Himalayas is frequently referred to as the ounce."
• Rhymes for ounce
Word Origin & Etymology
The unit of weight comes via Old French from Latin 'uncia', meaning 'a twelfth part' (as in one-twelfth of a Roman pound or foot), which is also the linguistic source of the English word 'inch'. The zoological sense meaning 'snow leopard' has a separate origin, borrowed from Old French 'once', an alteration of 'lonce' (derived from Latin 'lynx' when the initial 'l-' was mistaken for the French definite article).