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In Ancient Latin times the unit of measurement, the pound, was not as it is considered today. Today a contemporary, or modern day pound is ~453.592g. This was established by the US & other other members of The Commonwealth of Nations on July 1, 1959. Whereas, in Roman times, when Latin was still used as a means of communication by any society or group of peoples, it was ~327.168g. These units of measure were called a "libra".

Hope that helps.

For further reading & reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_units_of_measurement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_(mass)

(I'm sorry if you were inquiring about the verb, to "pound".)

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Why is 1 pound Latin?

The word "pound" comes from the Latin word "pondo," meaning "weight." The symbol for the pound unit, lb, comes from the abbreviation "lb" for the Latin word "libra," which also means "weight" or "balance."


How did the term pound as a unit of weight originate?

The term "pound" as a unit of weight originated from the Latin word "libra," which means scales or balance. It was used in ancient Rome as a unit of measurement for goods and gradually evolved into the pound as we know it today.


10 pounds equals how many pound?

lb, plural lbs, means pounds - from the Latin word for pound.


Why does pounds stand for pounds?

The letters Lb for pound come from a Latin word for an ancient Roman unit of weight, libra, which was equivalent to 327.45 grams. While adding the "s" isn't accurate ("libra" is a single pound, "librae" is plural - adding the "s" to pluralize the singular is an English convention), it is still widely done to indicate more than one pound of weight.The pound, a unit of measurement incorrectly abbreviated as "lbs" in plural ("lb", short of Latin "Libra": scales/balance, is both singular and plural).The unit is descended from the Roman libra (hence the abbreviation "lb"); the name pound is a Germanic adaptation of the Latin phrase libra pondo, 'a pound weight'.


Where did the word ounce come from?

The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which is equal to approximately 28 grams. Th ounce is used in a number of different systems, including those of mass.

Related Questions

Why is the word pound written pound?

lb originates from the Latin word Libra, meaning pound.


Why is 1 pound Latin?

The word "pound" comes from the Latin word "pondo," meaning "weight." The symbol for the pound unit, lb, comes from the abbreviation "lb" for the Latin word "libra," which also means "weight" or "balance."


How did the word pound originate?

Apparently our word "pound" comes from the Latin word "pondo" which means weight.


What is the derivation of pound for pound?

The abbreviation lb is short for the Latin word librum, which meant the same thing--the same unit of weight. That word came from libra, the Latin word for "scale," which was used to measure weight.


When is it okay to use pound for pound?

The abbreviation lb is short for the Latin word librum, which meant the same thing--the same unit of weight. That word came from libra, the Latin word for "scale," which was used to measure weight.


How did the term pound as a unit of weight originate?

The term "pound" as a unit of weight originated from the Latin word "libra," which means scales or balance. It was used in ancient Rome as a unit of measurement for goods and gradually evolved into the pound as we know it today.


How did the English pound sign come about?

The English pound sign (£) originated from the letter L with a line through it, which stood for the Latin word "libra," meaning pound. It has evolved over time into the symbol we recognize today to represent the British currency.


Why is lb used as an abbreviation for pound?

The abbreviation lb comes from the Latin word libra, meaning scales or balances which also described a Roman unit similar to the pound.


What does the abbreviation pound stand for?

It stands for the Latin word Libra (pounds, unit of mass).


What does the abbreviation kg represent?

"lb" is the abbreviation for pound. "Libra" is the Latin word for pound or scales. The Roman pound was 327.168 grams. The modern pound is 454 grams.


Why is pounds written as pounds?

Lb is an abbreviation of the Latin word for pound. The original Latin word for the pound weight was libra pondo.The Latin word libra means 'balances, scales' (as in the astrological sign for the constellation Libra, which can be described as looking like a set of balance scales). The word pondus, meaning weight, is the original Latin for the English word 'pound.' So libra pondo meant 'a balance scale weight (of a Roman pound)'. A Roman pound weighed about 327 grams. [The British pound became standardised at about 1/3rd heavier than the ancient Roman pound]In time libra pondo became shortened to just libra, i.e. a quick way of saying 'libra pondo.' Then libra was abbreviated to lb, still meaning pound or pounds. Lbs is the logical English plural of lb, but either lb or lbs can be used.


Why do they use lb for pound and oz for ounces?

It comes from the Latin word 'libra' - meaning 'scales'.