hundredweight

Etymology

16th century, from hundred + weight.

noun

  1. A measure of weight containing a hundred pounds, variously understood as
    1. (Canada, US) A unit of measurement containing 100 avoirdupois pounds (45.5 kg).
    2. (UK, chiefly historical) A unit of measurement containing 112 avoirdupois pounds (8 st or 51 kg).
      The hundredweight of 112 avoirdupois lbs. becomes general in the period before me, and is employed for the commoner kinds of materials. 1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume IV, page 209
    3. (historical) Synonym of quintal, a unit of measurement containing various amounts depending on the objects weighed.
    4. (historical) Various units of ancient measurement systems consisting of 100 units usually translated as "pounds".

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