Definition:Ounce/Linguistic Note
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Definition
The word ounce derives from the Latin uncia, meaning $\dfrac 1 {12}$ part (of an as).
Despite the gradual migration to the metric system, the word ounce still lives on as a rhetorical flourish for something small, for example:
- If you only had an ounce of sense you would understand that ...
Sources
- 1986: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers ... (previous) ... (next): $12$
- 1996: John H. Conway and Richard K. Guy: The Book of Numbers ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: The Romance of Numbers: $1$
- 1997: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): $12$